Xylitol producing metschnikowia species

ABSTRACT

Provided herein are Metschnikowia species that produce xylitol from xylose when cultured, as well as methods to make and use these Metschnikowia species.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 15/849,079, filed Dec. 20, 2017, which claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/437,606, filed on Dec. 21, 2016, the entire contents of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of molecular biology and microbiology. Provided herein are Metschnikowia species that produce xylitol from xylose when cultured, as well as methods to make and use these Metschnikowia species.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING

The instant application contains a Sequence Listing which has been submitted in ASCII format via EFS-Web and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Said ASCII copy, created on Sep. 16, 2019, is named 14305-013-999_Sequence_Listing.txt and is 170,380 bytes in size.

BACKGROUND

Xylose is an abundant sugar present in lignocellulosic biomass, a renewable feedstock for producing bioderived chemicals. However, the use of lignocellulosic biomass and the production of bioderived chemicals are limited by the naturally low xylose uptake in microbial organisms. Therefore, a microbial organism that can use xylose to produce bioderived compounds, such as xylitol, represents an unmet need.

Xylitol is a five-carbon sugar alcohol widely used as a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate alternative to sugar (Drucker et al., Arch of Oral Biol. 24:965-970 (1979)). Xylitol is approximately as sweet as sucrose but has 33% fewer calories. Xylitol has been reported to not affect insulin levels of people with diabetes and individuals with hyperglycemia. The consumption of xylitol is also reportedly beneficial for dental health, reducing the incidence of caries. For example, xylitol in chewing gum is reported to inhibit growth of Streptoccocus mutans (Haresaku et al., Caries Res. 41:198-203 (2007)), and to reduce the incidence of acute middle ear infection (Azarpazhooh et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 11:CD007095 (2011)). Moreover, xylitol has been reported to inhibit demineralization of healthy tooth enamel and to re-mineralize damaged tooth enamel (Steinberg et al., Clinical Preventive Dentistry 14:31-34 (1992); Maguire et al., British Dental J. 194:429-436 (2003); Grillaud et al., Arch of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 12:1180-1186 (2005)).

Commercially, xylitol may be produced by chemical reduction of xylose, although this can present difficulties associated with separation and purification of xylose or xylitol from hydrolysates. Microbial systems for the production of xylitol have been described (Sirisansaneeyakul et al., J. Ferment. Bioeng. 80:565-570 (1995); Onishi et al., Agric. Biol. Chem. 30:1139-1144 (1966); Barbosa et al., J. Ind. Microbiol. 3:241-251 (1988); Gong et al., Biotechnol. Lett. 3:125-130 (1981); Vandeska et al., World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 11:213-218 (1995); Dahiya et al., Cabdirect.org 292-303 (1990); Gong et al., Biotechnol. Bioeng. 25:85-102 (1983)). For example, yeast from the genus Candida has been described as being useful for xylitol production. However, Candida spp. may be opportunistic pathogens, so the use of these organisms in processes related to food products are not desirable.

The Metschnikowia species, methods and compositions provided herein meet these needs and provide other related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway. Such Metschnikowia species can produce xylitol from xylose when cultured in medium having xylose. In some embodiments, a xylitol pathway described herein includes a xylose reductase, which converts xylose to xylitol. Additionally, in some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species includes a genetic modification to a xylitol dehydrogenase, which would normally convert xylitol to xylulose. Accordingly, in some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase or, alternatively or additionally, at least one exogenous nucleic acid that results in overexpression of a xylose reductase of the isolated Metschnikowia species. In some embodiments, also provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having a genetic modification that attenuates or inactivates a xylitol dehydrogenase of the isolated Metschnikowia species. In some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having: (a) at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase or that results in overexpression of a xylose reductase of the isolated Metschnikowia species; and (b) a genetic modification that attenuates or inactivates a xylitol dehydrogenase of the isolated Metschnikowia species.

Also provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species that can produce xylitol from xylose at a specific rate. For example, in some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 0.50 g/L/h, at least 0.60 g/L/h, at least 0.70 g/L/h, at least 0.80 g/L/h, at least 0.90 g/L/h, at least 1.00 g/L/h, at least 1.50 g/L/h, at least 2.00 g/L/h, at least 2.50 g/L/h, at least 3.00 g/L/h, at least 3.50 g/L/h, at least 4.00 g/L/h, at least 5.00 g/L/h, at least 6.00 g/L/h, at least 7.00 g/L/h, at least 8.00 g/L/h, at least 9.00 g/L/h, or at least 10.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured.

Still further provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species that can produce xylitol from xylose at a specific concentration. For example, in some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 75 g/L, at least 80 g/L, at least 85 g/L, at least 90 g/L, at least 95 g/L, at least 100 g/L, at least 110 g/L, at least 120 g/L, at least 130 g/L, at least 140 g/L, at least 150 g/L, at least 160 g/L, at least 170 g/L, at least 180 g/L, at least 190 g/L, at least 200 g/L, at least 250 g/L, or at least 300 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured.

The isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein can be a Metschnikowia species selected from Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Metschnikowia fructicola, Metschnikowia chrysoperlae, Metschnikowia reukaufii, Metschnikowia andauensis, Metschnikowia shanxiensis, Metschnikowia sinensis, Metschnikowia zizyphicola, Metschnikowia bicuspidata, Metschnikowia lunata, Metschnikowia zobellii, Metschnikowia australis, Metschnikowia agaveae, Metschnikowia gruessii, Metschnikowia hawaiiensis, Metschnikowia krissii, Metschnikowia sp. strain NS-O-85, and Metschnikowia sp. strain NS-O-89. In a particular embodiment, the isolated Metschnikowia species is the Metschnikowia species designated Accession No. 081116-01, deposited at the International Depositary Authority of Canada, an International Depositary Authority, on Nov. 8, 2016, under the terms of the Budapest Treaty.

In some embodiments, the at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase that is introduced into the isolated Metschnikowia species is a heterologous nucleic acid.

In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has the amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 11-18. In a particular embodiment, the xylose reductase has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 or an amino acid sequence with at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 11.

In some aspects, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein includes a genetic modification, wherein the genetic modification includes the deletion of at least one allele encoding the xylitol dehydrogenase or a portion thereof of the isolated Metschnikowia species. In a particular embodiment, the genetic modification includes the deletion of both alleles encoding the xylitol dehydrogenase or a portion thereof of the isolated Metschnikowia species.

In some aspects, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein further includes at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose transporter or that results in overexpression of a xylose transporter of the isolated Metschnikowia species. The xylose transporter, in some embodiments, has the amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 27-40. In a particular embodiment, the xylose transporter has the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOS: 27-36 or an amino acid sequence with at least 30% sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NOS: 27-36.

In some aspects, provided herein is a method for producing xylitol. In some embodiments, the method includes culturing the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce xylitol from xylose. The method can include culturing the isolated Metschnikowia species in medium having xylose and a C3 carbon source, a C4 carbon source, a C5 carbon source, a C6 carbon source, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the conditions include culturing the isolated Metschnikowia species in medium comprising xylose and a co-substrate selected from cellobiose, galactose, glucose, ethanol, acetate, arabitol, sorbitol and glycerol, or a combination thereof. In a particular embodiment, the co-substrate is glucose. In yet another particular embodiment, the medium comprises a combination of xylose and cellobiose, or a combination of xylose and galactose, or a combination of xylose and glycerol. The culturing conditions can also include aerobic culturing conditions. The culturing can include batch cultivation, fed-batch cultivation or continuous cultivation. In some embodiments, the method includes separating the xylitol from other components in the culture using, for example, extraction, continuous liquid-liquid extraction, pervaporation, membrane filtration, membrane separation, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, distillation, crystallization, centrifugation, extractive filtration, ion exchange chromatography, absorption chromatography, or ultrafiltration.

In some aspects, provided herein is bioderived xylitol produced by a method provided herein.

In some aspects, provided herein is a composition having the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein. Additionally or alternatively, also provided herein is a composition having the bioderived xylitol provided herein. The composition is, in some embodiments, culture medium comprising xylose. In a particular embodiment, the composition is culture medium from which the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein has been removed.

In some embodiments, the composition includes glycerol, arabitol, a C7 sugar alcohol, or a combination thereof, as impurities from the method described herein. In a particular embodiment, the C7 sugar alcohol is volemitol or an isomer thereof. In some embodiments, the amount of glycerol or arabitol, or both, is at least 10%, 20%, 30% or 40% greater than the amount of the respective glycerol or arabitol, or both, produced by a microbial organism other than the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the production of xylitol from xylose for wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp. and S. cerevisiae M2 strain. YP+4% Xylose indicates yeast extract peptone medium having 4% xylose. YP+10% Xylose indicates yeast extract peptone medium having 10% xylose.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary xylitol pathway for production from xylose. Reduction of xylose to xylitol occurs by xylose reductase (XR) and conversion of xylitol to xylulose is prevented by the deletion of the XYL2 gene that encodes a xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH). Overexpression of the xylose transporter (XT) and xylose reductase (XR) enhance the production of xylitol. Use of a co-substrate supports the cell's metabolism and supplies redox balance for xylose reductase.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of resistance marker gene expression cassettes for H0 Metschnikowia sp. genome integration.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary strategy for deletion of the XYL2 gene.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary construction strategy of XYL1 overexpression in an XYL2 deletion strain of H0 Metschnikowia sp.

FIGS. 6A-6C show the consumption of xylose (FIG. 6A), production of xylitol from xylose (FIG. 6B), and utilization of cellobiose (FIG. 6C) for wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp. (H0), xyl2 deletion H0 Metschnikowia sp. strain (xyl2Δ/xyl2Δ) and overexpression of XYL1 together with xyl2 deletion H0 Metschnikowia sp. strain (xyl2Δ::XYL1↑/xyl2Δ::XYL1↑) when cultured in different concentrations of xylose (X, ≤10%) and cellobiose (C).

FIG. 7 shows the consumption of xylose, production of xylitol from xylose, and utilization of cellobiose for wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp. (H0), xyl2 deletion H0 Metschnikowia sp. strain (xyl2Δ/xyl2Δ) and overexpression of XYL1 together with xyl2 deletion H0 Metschnikowia sp. strain (xyl2Δ::XYL1↑/xyl2Δ::XYL1↑) when cultured in 8% (w/v) xylose and 2.5% (w/v) cellobiose.

FIG. 8 shows the production of xylitol from xylose for wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp. (H0), deletion H0 Metschnikowia sp. strain (H091: xyl2Δ/xyl2Δ) and overexpression of XYL1 together with xyl2 deletion (H4316: xyl2Δ::XYL1↑/xyl2:XYL1↑) when cultures in different concentration of xylose (10%≤X≤20%)) and galactose.

FIG. 9 shows xylitol production by recombinant H0 Metschnikowia sp. from 12% (w/v) xylose using galactose as co-substrate. H091=xyl2 deletion strain; H4316=xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression strain.

FIGS. 10A-10C show xylose consumption (FIG. 10A), xylitol production (FIG. 10B) and galactose utilization (FIG. 10C) by the recombinant H0 Metschnikowia sp. H0=wild type; H091=xyl2 deletion strain; H4316=xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression strain.

FIG. 11 shows xylose consumption and xylitol production in a 5× re-feeding with solid xylose.

FIGS. 12A-12C show xylose consumption and xylitol production by H0 Metschnikowia sp. having a xylitol pathway and overexpression of a xylose transporter in a method using galactose as a co-substrate (FIG. 12A), cellobiose as a co-substrate (FIG. 12B), or glycerol as a co-substrate (FIG. 12C). H0=wild type; H091=xyl2 deletion strain; H016=strain with one copy of XYL2 replaced with GXF1 and XYL1 overexpression cassette; H016-21=xyl2 deletion plus GXF1 and XYL1 overexpression strain.

FIG. 13 shows xylose consumption and xylitol production by H0 Metschnikowia sp. having a xylitol pathway and overexpression of a xylose transporter in a method using galactose as a co-substrate. H0=wild type; H091=xyl2 deletion strain; H2-2=strain with one copy of XYL2 replaced by GXF2 and XYL1 overexpression cassette; 2c1d3=xyl2 deletion plus GXF2 and XYL1 overexpression strain.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show xylose and galactose consumption and production of xylitol by xyl2 deletion plus GXF1 and XYL1 overexpression strain using fed-batch fermentation using different feeding medium and aeration rate. FIG. 14A uses feeding medium having 36% xylose, 12% galactose, 1.5% glucose, 1.5% peptone, 0.075% yeast extract, 0.075% KH₂PO₄, 0.075% MgSO₄, and 0.075% (NH₄)₂SO₄. The aeration rate was automatically adjusted to keep the dissolved oxygen (DO) to 50% of saturation. FIG. 14B uses feeding medium having 36% xylose, 12% galactose, 3% glucose, 3% peptone, 1.5% yeast extract, 0.075% KH₂PO₄, 0.075% MgSO₄, and 0.075% (NH₄)₂SO₄. More solid medium compounds were added at day 10 to increase the xylose concentration to 7%. The aeration rate was automatically adjusted to keep the dissolved oxygen (DO) to 70% of saturation.

FIGS. 15A-15D show cell growth curves for H0 Metschnikowia sp. and FL strain cultured in different media. FIG. 15A is YNB medium with 4% glucose (YNBG). FIG. 15B is YNB medium with 4% xylose (YNBX). FIG. 15C is YNB medium with 2% glucose and 2% xylose (YNBGX). FIG. 15D is YPD medium with 4% xylose (YPDX).

FIGS. 16A and 16B show glycerol and ethanol produced by H0 Metschnikowia sp. and FL strain in YNBG, YNBGX and YPDX media.

FIGS. 17A-17D show arabitol levels produced during the growth of H0 Metschnikowia sp. and Metschnikowia pulcherrima flavia (FL) strain in YNBG (FIG. 17A), YNBX (FIG. 17B), YNBGX (FIG. 17C) and YPDX (FIG. 17D) media.

FIGS. 18A-18C show xylitol levels produced during the growth of H0 Metschnikowia sp. and FL strain in YNBX (FIG. 18A), YNBGX (FIG. 18B) and YPDX (FIG. 18C) media.

FIGS. 19A-19D show peak ratios production of various volatile compounds produced by H0 Metschnikowia sp. and FL strain in YNBG (FIG. 19A), YNBX (FIG. 19B), YNBGX (FIG. 19C) and YPDX (FIG. 19D) media.

FIG. 20 shows exemplary growth curves for the H0 Metschnikowia sp. as compared to members of the Metschnikowia pulcherrima clade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The compositions and methods provided herein are based, in part, on the discovery, isolation and characterization of a novel yeast species within the Metschnikowia genus. Isolation and characterization of this novel Metschnikowia species, referred to herein as “H0” or the “H0 Metschnikowia sp.,” has revealed novel genes and proteins, in particular a novel xylose reductase and novel xylose transporters, which provide a Metschnikowia species the ability to utilize xylose for the production of xylitol. Uses for these novel genes and proteins include, for example, the introduction of an exogenous nucleic acid that results in overexpression of xylitol pathway enzymes and proteins, such as a xylose reductase or a xylose transport, in a Metschnikowia species, and the introduction of a genetic modification that attenuates or inactivates the xylitol dehydrogenase of the Metschnikowia species. Introduction of such modifications to a Metschnikowia species, including the H0 Metschnikowia sp. described herein, can result in significant increases in xylitol production. Accordingly, the Metschnikowia species described herein can be used in a method for producing xylitol by culturing the Metschnikowia species in medium having xylose as the carbon source for production of the xylitol. Also provided herein are compositions having the xylitol produced by the methods that use the recombinant Metschnikowia species described herein to produce the xylitol. Still further provided herein are isolated polypeptides directed to the novel proteins of the H0 Metschnikowia sp. and isolated nucleic acids directed to the novel genes of the H0 Metschnikowia sp., as well as host cells including such nucleic acids.

As used herein, the term “aerobic” when used in reference to a culture or growth condition is intended to mean that free oxygen (02) is available in the culture or growth condition. This includes when the dissolved oxygen in the liquid medium is more than 50% of saturation.

As used herein, the term “anaerobic” when used in reference to a culture or growth condition is intended to mean that the culture or growth condition lacks free oxygen (02).

As used herein, the term “attenuate,” or grammatical equivalents thereof, is intended to mean to weaken, reduce or diminish the activity or amount of an enzyme or protein. Attenuation of the activity or amount of an enzyme or protein can mimic complete disruption if the attenuation causes the activity or amount to fall below a critical level required for a given pathway to function. However, the attenuation of the activity or amount of an enzyme or protein that mimics complete disruption for one pathway can still be sufficient for a separate pathway to continue to function. For example, attenuation of an endogenous enzyme or protein can be sufficient to mimic the complete disruption of the same enzyme or protein for production of a particular compound (e.g., xylitol), but the remaining activity or amount of enzyme or protein can still be sufficient to maintain other pathways or reactions, such as a pathway that is critical for the host Metschnikowia species to survive, reproduce or grow. Attenuation of an enzyme or protein can also be weakening, reducing or diminishing the activity or amount of the enzyme or protein in an amount that is sufficient to increase yield of xylitol, but does not necessarily mimic complete disruption of the enzyme or protein.

As used herein, the term “biobased” means a product that is composed, in whole or in part, of a bioderived compound. A biobased or bioderived product is in contrast to a petroleum derived product, wherein such a product is derived from or synthesized from petroleum or a petrochemical feedstock.

As used herein, the term “bioderived” means derived from or synthesized by a biological organism and can be considered a renewable resource since it can be generated by a biological organism. Such a biological organism, in particular the Metschnikowia species disclosed herein, can utilize feedstock or biomass, such as, sugars (e.g., xylose, glucose, fructose, galactose (e.g., galactose from marine plant biomass), sucrose, and arabinose), carbohydrates obtained from an agricultural, plant, bacterial, or animal source, and glycerol (e.g., crude glycerol byproduct from biodiesel manufacturing).

As used herein, the term “carbon source” refers to any carbon containing molecule used by an organism for the synthesis of its organic molecules, including, but not limited to the bioderived compounds described herein. This includes molecules with different amounts of carbon atoms. Specific examples include a C3 carbon source, a C4 carbon source, a C5 carbon source and a C6 carbon source. A “C3 carbon source” refers to a carbon source containing three carbon atoms, such as glycerol. A “C4 carbon source” refers to a carbon source containing four carbon atoms, such as erythrose or threose. A “C5 carbon source” refers to a carbon source containing five carbon atoms, such as xylose, arabinose, arabitol, ribose or lyxose. A “C6 carbon source” refers to a carbon source containing six carbon atoms, such as glucose, galactose, mannose, allose, altrose, gulose, or idose.

The term “exogenous” as it is used herein is intended to mean that the referenced molecule or the referenced activity is introduced into the Metschnikowia species described herein. The molecule can be introduced, for example, by introduction of an encoding nucleic acid into the host Metschnikowia species' genetic material, such as by integration into a host chromosome or as non-chromosomal genetic material such as a plasmid. Alternatively or additionally, the molecule introduced can be or include, for example, a non-coding nucleic acid that modulates (e.g., increases, decreases or makes constitutive) the expression of an encoding nucleic acid, such as a promoter or enhancer. Therefore, the term as it is used in reference to expression of an encoding nucleic acid refers to introduction of the encoding nucleic acid in an expressible form into the host Metschnikowia species and/or introduction of a nucleic acid that increases expression (e.g., overexpresses) of an encoding nucleic acid of the host Metschnikowia species. When used in reference to a biosynthetic activity, the term refers to an activity that is introduced into the host Metschnikowia species. The source can be, for example, a homologous or heterologous encoding nucleic acid that expresses the referenced activity following introduction into the Metschnikowia species. Therefore, the term “endogenous” refers to a referenced molecule or activity that is present in the host Metschnikowia species. Similarly, the term when used in reference to expression of an encoding nucleic acid refers to expression of an encoding nucleic acid contained within the microbial organism. The term “heterologous” refers to a molecule or activity derived from a source other than the referenced Metschnikowia species, whereas “homologous” refers to a molecule or activity derived from the host Metschnikowia species. Accordingly, exogenous expression of an encoding nucleic acid disclosed herein can utilize either or both a heterologous or homologous encoding nucleic acid.

It is understood that when more than one exogenous nucleic acid is included in a Metschnikowia species that the more than one exogenous nucleic acid refers to the referenced encoding nucleic acid or biosynthetic activity, as discussed above. It is also understood that a microbial organism can have one or multiple copies of the same exogenous nucleic acid. It is further understood, as disclosed herein, that such more than one exogenous nucleic acid can be introduced into the host Metschnikowia species on separate nucleic acid molecules, on polycistronic nucleic acid molecules, or a combination thereof, and still be considered as more than one exogenous nucleic acid. For example, as disclosed herein a microbial organism can be engineered to express two or more exogenous nucleic acids encoding a desired pathway enzyme or protein. In the case where two exogenous nucleic acids encoding a desired activity are introduced into a host Metschnikowia species, it is understood that the two exogenous nucleic acids can be introduced as a single nucleic acid, for example, on a single plasmid, on separate plasmids, can be integrated into the host chromosome at a single site or multiple sites, and still be considered as two exogenous nucleic acids. Similarly, it is understood that more than two exogenous nucleic acids can be introduced into a host organism in any desired combination, for example, on a single plasmid, on separate plasmids, can be integrated into the host chromosome at a single site or multiple sites, and still be considered as two or more exogenous nucleic acids, for example three exogenous nucleic acids. Thus, the number of referenced exogenous nucleic acids or biosynthetic activities refers to the number of encoding nucleic acids or the number of biosynthetic activities, not the number of separate nucleic acids introduced into the host organism.

As used herein, the term “genetic modification,” “gene disruption,” or grammatical equivalents thereof, is intended to mean a genetic alteration that renders the encoded gene product functionally inactive, or active but attenuated. The genetic alteration can be, for example, deletion of the entire gene, deletion of a regulatory sequence required for transcription or translation, deletion of a portion of the gene that results in a truncated gene product, or by any of the various mutation strategies that inactivate or attenuate the encoded gene product well known in the art. One particularly useful method of gene disruption is complete gene deletion because it reduces or eliminates the occurrence of genetic reversions in the Metschnikowia species provided herein. A gene disruption also includes a null mutation, which refers to a mutation within a gene or a region containing a gene that results in the gene not being transcribed into RNA and/or translated into a functional gene product. Such a null mutation can arise from many types of mutations including, for example, inactivating point mutations, deletion of a portion of a gene, entire gene deletions, or deletion of chromosomal segments.

As used herein, the term “inactivate,” or grammatical equivalents thereof, is intended to mean to stop the activity of the enzyme or protein. Such inactivation can be accomplished by deletion of the entire nucleic acid sequence encoding the enzyme or protein. Inactivation can also be accomplished by deletion of a portion of the nucleic acid sequence encoding the enzyme or protein such that the resulting enzyme or protein encoded by the nucleic acid sequence does not have the activity of the full length enzyme or protein. Additionally, inactivation of an enzyme or protein can be accomplished by substitutions or insertions, including in combination with deletions, into the nucleic acid sequence encoding the enzyme or protein. Insertions can include heterologous nucleic acids, such as those described herein.

As used herein, the term “isolated” when used in reference to a Metschnikowia species described herein is intended to mean an organism that is substantially free of at least one component as the referenced microbial organism is found in nature. The term includes a Metschnikowia species that is removed from some or all components as it is found in its natural environment. The term also includes a microbial organism that is removed from some or all components as the microbial organism is found in non-naturally occurring environments. Therefore, an isolated Metschnikowia species is partly or completely separated from other substances as it is found in nature or as it is grown, stored or subsisted in non-naturally occurring environments. Specific examples of isolated Metschnikowia species include a partially pure microbial organism, a substantially pure microbial organism and a microbial organism cultured in a medium that is non-naturally occurring.

As used herein, the term “medium,” “culture medium,” “growth medium” or grammatical equivalents thereof refers to a liquid or solid (e.g., gelatinous) substance containing nutrients that supports the growth of a cell, including any microbial organism such as the Metschnikowia species described herein. Nutrients that support growth include: a substrate that supplies carbon, such as, but are not limited to, xylose, cellobiose, galactose, glucose, ethanol, acetate, arabinose, arabitol, sorbitol and glycerol; salts that provide essential elements including magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur; a source for amino acids, such as peptone or tryptone; and a source for vitamin content, such as yeast extract. Specific examples of medium useful in the methods and in characterizing the Metschnikowia species described herein include yeast extract peptone (YEP) medium and yeast nitrogen base (YNB) medium having a carbon source such as, but not limited to xylose, glucose, cellobiose, galactose, or glycerol, or a combination thereof. The formulations of YEP and YNB medium are well known in the art. For example, YEP medium having 4% xylose includes, but is not limited to, yeast extract 1.0 g, peptone 2.0 g, xylose 4.0 g, and 100 ml water. As another example, YNB medium having 2% glucose and 2% xylose includes, but is not limited to, biotin 2 μg, calcium pantothenate 400 μg, folic acid 2 μg, inositol 2000 μg, niacin 400 μg, p-aminobenzoic acid 200 μg, pyridoxine hydrochloride 400 μg, riboflavin 200 μg, thiamine hydrochloride 400 μg, boric acid 500 μg, copper sulfate 40 μg, potassium iodide 100 μg, ferric chloride 200 μg, manganese sulfate 400 μg, sodium molybdate 200 μg, zinc sulfate 400 μg, potassium phosphate monobasic 1 g, magnesium sulfate 500 mg, sodium chloride 100 mg, calcium chloride 100 mg, 20 g glucose, 20 g, xylose and 1 L water. The amount of the carbon source in the medium can be readily determined by a person skilled in the art. When more than one substrate that supplies carbon is present in the medium, these are referred to as “co-substrates.” Medium can also include substances other than nutrients needed for growth, such as a substance that only allows select cells to grow (e.g., antibiotic or antifungal), which are generally found in selective medium, or a substance that allows for differentiation of one microbial organism over another when grown on the same medium, which are generally found in differential or indicator medium. Such substances are well known to a person skilled in the art.

As used herein, the term “Metschnikowia species” refers to any species of yeast that falls within the Metschnikowia genus. Exemplary Metschnikowia species include, but are not limited to, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Metschnikowia fructicola, Metschnikowia chrysoperlae, Metschnikowia reukaufii, Metschnikowia andauensis, Metschnikowia shanxiensis, Metschnikowia sinensis, Metschnikowia zizyphicola, Metschnikowia bicuspidata, Metschnikowia lunata, Metschnikowia zobellii, Metschnikowia australis, Metschnikowia agaveae, Metschnikowia gruessii, Metschnikowia hawaiiensis, Metschnikowia krissii, Metschnikowia sp. strain NS-O-85, Metschnikowia sp. strain NS-O-89 and the unique Metschnikowia species described herein Metschnikowia sp. H0, alternatively known “H0 Metschnikowia sp.” The Metschnikowia species described herein, i.e., the “H0 Metschnikowia sp.”, is a newly discovered species, which is designated Accession No. 081116-01, and was deposited at International Depositary Authority of Canada (“IDAC”), an International Depositary Authority, at the address of 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3R2, on Nov. 8, 2016, under the terms of the Budapest Treaty. The proposed scientific name for the H0 Metschnikowia sp. is Metschnikowia vinificola (vinifi: from vinifera (species of wine grape vine); cola: from Latin word “incola” meaning inhabitant). Thus, the species name of vinificola (inhabitant of vinifera) refers to the isolation of the type strain from wine grapes.

Additionally, a Metschnikowia species referred to herein can include a “non-naturally occurring” or “recombinant” Metschnikowia species. Such an organism is intended to mean a Metschnikowia species that has at least one genetic alteration not normally found in the naturally occurring Metschnikowia species, including wild-type strains of the referenced species. Genetic alterations include, for example, modifications introducing expressible nucleic acids encoding metabolic polypeptides, other nucleic acid additions, nucleic acid deletions and/or other gene disruption of the microbial organism's genetic material. Such modifications include, for example, coding regions and functional fragments thereof, for heterologous, homologous or both heterologous and homologous polypeptides for the referenced species. Additional modifications include, for example, non-coding regulatory regions in which the modifications alter expression of a gene or operon. Exemplary metabolic polypeptides include enzymes or proteins within a metabolic pathway (e.g., xylitol pathway) described herein.

A metabolic modification refers to a biochemical reaction that is altered from its naturally occurring state. Therefore, the Metschnikowia species described herein can have genetic modifications to one or more nucleic acid sequences encoding metabolic polypeptides, or functional fragments thereof, which alter the biochemical reaction that the metabolic polypeptide catalyzes, including catabolic or anabolic reactions and basal metabolism. Exemplary metabolic modifications are disclosed herein.

As used herein, the term “overexpression” or grammatical equivalents thereof, is intended to mean the expression of a gene product (e.g., ribonucleic acids (RNA), protein or enzyme) in an amount that is greater than is normal for a host Metschnikowia species, or at a time or location within the host Metschnikowia species that is different from that of wild-type expression.

As used herein, the terms “sequence identity” or “sequence homology,” when used in reference to a nucleic acid sequence or an amino acid sequence, refers to the similarity between two or more nucleic acid molecules or between two or more polypeptides. Identity can be determined by comparing a position in each sequence, which may be aligned for purposes of comparison. When a position in the compared sequence is occupied by the same base or amino acid, then the molecules are identical at that position. A degree of identity between sequences is a function of the number of matching or homologous positions shared by the sequences. The alignment of two sequences to determine their percent sequence identity can be done using software programs known in the art, such as, for example, those described in Ausubel et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley and Sons, Baltimore, Md. (1999). Preferably, default parameters are used for the alignment. One alignment program well known in the art that can be used is BLAST set to default parameters. In particular, programs are BLASTN and BLASTP, using the following default parameters: Genetic code=standard; filter=none; strand=both; cutoff=60; expect=10; Matrix=BLOSUM62; Descriptions=50 sequences; sort by=HIGH SCORE; Databases=non-redundant, GenBank+EMBL+DDBJ+PDB+GenBank CDS translations+SwissProtein+SPupdate+PIR. Details of these programs can be found at the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

As used herein, the term “substantially anaerobic” when used in reference to a culture or growth condition is intended to mean that the amount of dissolved oxygen in a liquid medium is less than about 10% of saturation. The term also is intended to include sealed chambers maintained with an atmosphere of less than about 1% oxygen that include liquid or solid medium.

As used herein, the term “sugar alcohol” refers to an alcohol produced by the reduction of an aldehyde or ketone of a sugar. Thus a “C7 sugar alcohol” refers to an alcohol produced by the reduction of an aldehyde or ketone of a sugar having seven carbon atoms, such as volemitol or an isomer thereof.

As used herein, the term “xylitol” refers to a pentose sugar alcohol having the chemical formula of C₅H₁₂O₅, a Molar mass of 152.15 g/mol, and one IUPAC name of (2R,3r,4S)-pentane-1,2,3,4,5-pentol [(2S,4R)-pentane-1,2,3,4,5-pentol]. Xylitol is commonly used as a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate alternative to sugar, which does not affect insulin levels of people with diabetes and individuals with hyperglycemia.

As used herein, the term “xylitol dehydrogenase” refers to an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of xylitol to produce xylulose. Such oxidation of xylitol includes an enzyme that uses the cofactor NAD. An exemplary xylitol dehydrogenase includes an enzyme that is classified under E.C. 1.1.1.9 or E.C. 1.1.1.B19. The term “Metschnikowia xylitol dehydrogenase” or grammatical equivalent thereof refers to a xylitol dehydrogenase from a Metschnikowia species. Table 1 provides both amino acid and nucleic acid sequences of exemplary xylitol dehydrogenases.

TABLE 1 SEQ ID  NO: Description Sequence 1. Amino acid sequence MPANPSLVLNKVNDITFENYEVPLLTDPNDVLVQVKKTGICGS of Xy12 protein from DIHYYTHGRIGDFVLTKPMVLGHESAGVVVEVGKGVTDLKV H0 Metschnikowia sp. GDKVAIEPGVPSRTSDEYKSGHYNLCPHMCFAATPNSNPDEPN PPGTLCKYYKSPADFLVKLPEHVSLELGAMVEPLTVGVHASR LGRVTFGDHVVVFGAGPVGILAAAVARKFGAASVTIVDIFDSK LELAKSIGAATHTFNSMTEGVLSEALPAGVRPDVVLECTGAEI CVQQGVLALKAGGRHVQVGNAGSYLKFPITEFVTKELTLFGS FRYGYNDYKTSVAILDENYKNGKENALVDFEALITHRFPFKN AIEAYDAVRAGDGAVKCIIDGPE* 2. Amino acid sequence MPANPSLVLNKVNDISFENYEVPLLTDPNDVLVQVKKTGICGS of exemplary xylitol DIHYYTHGRIGDFVLTKPMVLGHESAGVVVEVGKGVTDLKV dehydrogenase from GDKVAIEPGVPSRTSDEYKSGHYNLCPHMCFAATPNSNPDEPN Metschnikowia PPGTLCKYYKSPADFLVKLPEHVSLELGAMVEPLTVGVHASR fructicola 277 LGRVTFGDHVVVFGAGPVGILAAAVARKFGAASVTIVDIFDSK LELAKSIGAATHTFNSMTEGVLSEALPAGVRPDVVLECTGAEI CVQQGVLALKAGGRHVQVGNAGSYLKFPITEFVTKELTLFGS FRYGYNDYKTSVAILDENYKNGKENALVDFEALITHRFPFKN AIEAYDAVRAGDGAVKCIIDGPE 3. Amino acid sequence MPANPSLVLNKVNDITFENYEVPLLTDPNDVLVQVKKTGICGS of exemplary xylitol DIHYYTHGRIGDFVLTKPMVLGHESAGVVVEVGKGVTDLKV dehydrogenase from GDKVAIEPGVPSRTSDEYKSGHYNLCPHMCFAATPNSNPDEPN Metschnikowia PPGTLCKYYKSPADFLVKLPEHVSLELGAMVEPLTVGVHASR pulcherrima flavia LGRVTFGDHVVVFGAGPVGILAAAVARKFGAASVTIVDIFDSK (identical to H0 LELAKSIGAATHTFNSMTEGVLSEALPAGVRPDVVLECTGAEI Xyl2p) CVQQGVLALKAGGRHVQVGNAGSYLKFPITEFVTKELTLFGS FRYGYNDYKTSVAILDENYKNGKENALVDFEALITHRFPFKN AIEAYDAVRAGDGAVKCIIDGPE 4. Amino acid sequence MTTNPSLVLNKVDDISFENYQIPRITEPNEVLVQVKKTGICGSD of exemplary xylitol IHYYAHGKIGDFVLTKPMVLGHESSGIVVEVGDAVSHLKAGD dehydrogenase from  KVAIEPGVPSRFSDEYKSGHYNLCPHMKFAATPNSKEGEPNPP Metschnikowia GTLCKYYKSPADFLVKLPDHVSLELGAMVEPLTVGVHASRLG bicuspidata var. KITFGDHVVVFGAGPVGILAAAVARKFGAASVTVVDIFDNKL bicuspidata NRRL KLAKDMGAATHVFNSRTSDSLGDNLPAGVNPDVVLECTGAE YB-4993 VCIQQGVLALKAGGRFVQVGNAGSYVKFPITELVTKELILFGS FRYGYNDYKTSVDILDENYKNGKDNAMIDFEALITHRFSFDD AIKAYDKVRSGDGAAKCIIDGPE 5. Amino acid sequence MTANPSLVLNKIDDISFETYDAPEISEPTDVLVQVKKTGICGSDI of exemplary xylitol HFYAHGRIGNFVLTKPMVLGHESAGTVVQVGKGVTSLKVGD dehydrogenase from NVAIEPGIPSRFSDEYKSGHYNLCPHMAFAATPNSKEGEPNPPG Pichia stipitis TLCKYFKSPEDFLVKLPDHVSLELGALVEPLSVGVHASKLGSV (no more Xyl2p AFGDYVAVFGAGPVGLLAAAVAKTFGAKGVIVVDIFDNKLK sequence available in MAKDIGAATHTFNSKTGGSEELIKAFGGNVPNVVLECTGAEPC Metschnikowia spp.) IKLGVDAIAPGGRFVQVGNAAGPVSFPITVFAMKELTLFGSFR YGFNDYKTAVGIFDTNYQNGRENAPIDFEQLITHRYKFKDAIE AYDLVRAGKGAVKCLIDGPE 6. Nucleic acid sequence ATGCCTGCTAACCCATCCTTGGTTTTGAACAAAGTGAACGA of XYL2 from H0 CATCACGTTCGAGAACTACGAGGTTCCGTTACTCACAGACC Metschnikowia sp. CCAACGATGTATTGGTTCAGGTGAAAAAGACTGGAATCTGT GGATCTGACATCCACTACTACACCCACGGCAGAATTGGCGA CTTCGTGTTGACAAAGCCAATGGTTTTGGGCCACGAATCCG CCGGTGTGGTCGTGGAGGTCGGCAAAGGTGTCACTGACTTG AAGGTTGGTGATAAGGTTGCCATTGAGCCCGGAGTGCCTTC TCGCACCAGTGACGAGTACAAGAGTGGCCACTACAACTTGT GCCCACACATGTGTTTTGCCGCCACGCCCAACTCTAACCCC GACGAGCCAAACCCGCCAGGGACTTTGTGCAAATATTACAA GTCCCCAGCGGACTTCTTGGTGAAATTGCCTGAGCACGTCT CCCTTGAGTTGGGCGCTATGGTCGAGCCTTTGACTGTCGGT GTGCACGCCTCGCGTTTGGGCCGTGTCACTTTTGGTGACCA CGTTGTGGTTTTCGGTGCTGGCCCAGTCGGTATCCTTGCGGC TGCCGTGGCCAGAAAGTTTGGCGCTGCCAGCGTGACTATCG TCGACATCTTCGACAGCAAATTGGAATTGGCCAAGTCCATT GGCGCGGCCACTCACACATTCAACTCAATGACTGAGGGTGT TCTTTCGGAGGCTTTGCCCGCGGGCGTGAGACCTGACGTTG TATTGGAGTGCACTGGAGCAGAGATCTGTGTGCAGCAAGGT GTACTTGCGTTGAAGGCTGGTGGCCGCCACGTGCAAGTTGG AAATGCCGGCTCCTATCTCAAATTCCCCATCACCGAATTTGT TACCAAGGAGTTGACTCTCTTTGGATCCTTCCGTTACGGTTA CAACGACTACAAGACGTCGGTCGCCATCTTGGACGAGAATT ACAAGAACGGGAAGGAGAATGCGTTGGTGGACTTTGAAGC CTTGATTACTCACCGTTTCCCCTTCAAGAATGCCATTGAGGC TTACGACGCGGTGCGCGCTGGCGACGGAGCTGTCAAGTGTA TCATTGACGGCCCAGAGTAA 7. Nucleic acid sequence ATGCCTGCTAACCCATCCTTGGTTTTGAACAAAGTGAACGA of exemplary xylitol CATCTCGTTCGAGAACTACGAGGTTCCGTTACTCACAGACC dehydrogenase from CCAACGATGTATTGGTTCAGGTGAAAAAGACTGGAATCTGT Metschnikowia GGATCTGACATCCACTACTACACCCACGGCAGAATTGGCGA fructicola 277 CTTTGTATTGACAAAGCCAATGGTTTTGGGCCACGAGTCCG CCGGTGTGGTCGTGGAGGTCGGCAAAGGCGTCACTGACTTG AAGGTTGGCGATAAGGTTGCCATTGAGCCCGGAGTGCCTTC TCGCACCAGTGACGAGTACAAGAGTGGTCACTACAACTTGT GCCCACACATGTGTTTTGCCGCCACGCCCAACTCTAACCCC GACGAGCCAAACCCGCCAGGGACTTTGTGCAAATACTACA AGTCCCCCGCGGACTTCTTGGTGAAATTGCCTGAGCACGTC TCCCTTGAGTTGGGCGCTATGGTCGAGCCTTTGACTGTCGGT GTGCACGCCTCGCGTTTGGGCCGTGTCACTTTTGGTGACCA CGTTGTGGTTTTCGGTGCTGGCCCAGTCGGTATTCTTGCGGC TGCCGTGGCCAGAAAGTTTGGCGCTGCCAGTGTGACTATCG TCGACATCTTCGACAGCAAATTGGAATTGGCCAAGTCCATT GGCGCGGCCACTCACACATTCAACTCAATGACTGAGGGTGT TCTTTCTGAGGCTTTGCCCGCGGGCGTGAGACCTGACGTTG TATTGGAGTGCACTGGAGCAGAGATCTGTGTGCAGCAAGGT GTACTTGCGTTGAAGGCTGGTGGCCGCCACGTGCAAGTTGG AAATGCCGGCTCCTATCTCAAATTCCCCATCACCGAGTTCG TCACCAAGGAGTTGACTCTCTTTGGGTCCTTCCGTTACGGCT ACAACGACTACAAGACGTCGGTCGCCATCTTGGACGAGAAT TACAAGAACGGGAAAGAGAATGCGTTGGTGGACTTTGAAG CCTTGATTACTCACCGTTTCCCCTTCAAGAATGCCATTGAGG CTTACGACGCGGTGCGCGCTGGCGACGGAGCTGTCAAGTGT ATCATTGACGGCCCAGAGTAA 8. Nucleic acid sequence ATGCCTGCTAACCCATCCTTGGTTTTGAACAAAGTGAACGA of exemplary xylitol CATCACGTTCGAGAACTACGAGGTTCCGTTACTCACAGACC dehydrogenase from CCAACGATGTATTGGTTCAGGTGAAAAAGACTGGAATCTGC Metschnikowia GGATCTGACATTCACTACTACACCCACGGCAGAATTGGCGA pulcherrima flavia CTTTGTATTGACAAAGCCGATGGTTTTGGGCCACGAATCCG CCGGTGTGGTCGTGGAGGTCGGCAAAGGCGTCACTGACTTG AAGGTTGGTGATAAGGTTGCCATTGAGCCTGGAGTGCCTTC TCGCACCAGTGACGAGTACAAGAGTGGTCACTACAACTTGT GCCCACACATGTGTTTTGCCGCCACGCCCAACTCTAACCCC GACGAGCCAAACCCGCCAGGGACTTTGTGCAAATACTACA AGTCCCCCGCGGACTTCTTGGTGAAATTGCCTGAGCACGTC TCCCTTGAGTTGGGCGCTATGGTCGAGCCTTTGACTGTCGGT GTGCACGCCTCGCGTTTGGGCCGTGTCACTTTTGGTGACCA CGTTGTGGTTTTCGGTGCTGGCCCAGTCGGTATCCTTGCGGC TGCCGTGGCCAGAAAGTTTGGCGCTGCCAGTGTGACTATCG TCGACATCTTCGACAGCAAATTGGAATTGGCCAAGTCCATT GGCGCGGCCACTCACACATTCAACTCAATGACTGAGGGTGT TCTTTCGGAGGCTTTGCCCGCGGGCGTGAGACCTGACGTTG TATTGGAGTGCACTGGAGCAGAGATCTGTGTGCAGCAAGGT GTACTTGCGTTGAAGGCTGGTGGCCGCCACGTGCAAGTTGG AAATGCCGGCTCCTATCTCAAATTCCCCATCACCGAGTTCG TCACCAAGGAGTTGACTCTCTTTGGGTCCTTCCGTTACGGCT ACAACGACTACAAGACGTCGGTCGCCATCTTGGACGAGAAT TACAAGAACGGGAAAGAGAATGCGTTGGTGGATTTTGAAG CCTTGATTACTCACCGTTTCCCCTTCAAGAATGCCATTGAGG CTTACGACGCGGTGCGCGCTGGCGACGGAGCTGTCAAGTGT ATCATTGACGGCCCAGAGTAA 9. Nucleic acid sequence ATGACTACAAACCCATCGTTGGTATTGAACAAAGTGGACGA of exemplary xylitol TATTTCGTTCGAAAACTACCAGATCCCTAGAATCACTGAGC dehydrogenase from CTAATGAAGTATTAGTCCAGGTAAAGAAGACGGGAATCTG Metschnikowia CGGCTCTGATATTCACTACTACGCACATGGAAAAATCGGAG bicuspidata ACTTCGTTTTGACAAAGCCAATGGTCTTAGGCCATGAATCC var. TCGGGAATTGTTGTTGAGGTGGGTGATGCTGTATCCCATTT bicuspidata GAAAGCTGGGGACAAGGTTGCCATTGAGCCTGGAGTGCCTT NRRL YB-4993 CTCGTTTTAGCGATGAGTACAAGAGCGGTCACTATAACTTA TGCCCGCATATGAAATTTGCTGCTACCCCCAACTCGAAAGA GGGTGAACCAAACCCTCCGGGCACTTTGTGCAAGTATTATA AGTCGCCCGCAGACTTCTTGGTTAAATTGCCTGATCACGTG TCGCTCGAATTGGGAGCAATGGTCGAGCCATTGACCGTGGG TGTGCATGCTTCTCGGTTGGGTAAGATCACTTTTGGTGATCA TGTGGTTGTATTTGGCGCTGGTCCAGTTGGAATTCTTGCAGC CGCTGTTGCAAGAAAATTTGGCGCCGCCTCCGTCACCGTTG TTGATATCTTCGACAACAAATTAAAGCTAGCGAAGGACATG GGTGCTGCCACCCATGTCTTTAACTCGAGGACTTCCGACTCT TTGGGGGATAATTTGCCCGCAGGTGTGAATCCAGATGTTGT TTTGGAGTGTACCGGAGCTGAAGTTTGTATCCAGCAAGGTG TTTTGGCTTTAAAAGCGGGTGGTCGCTTTGTGCAAGTGGGC AATGCCGGTTCATATGTCAAGTTCCCAATTACTGAGCTTGT GACCAAAGAGTTGATTCTTTTTGGGTCCTTCCGGTATGGAT ACAATGACTACAAGACCTCTGTGGATATCTTGGATGAAAAT TACAAAAACGGAAAAGACAATGCAATGATAGACTTCGAGG CTTTGATTACTCACCGGTTCTCATTCGACGATGCCATCAAGG CATACGACAAAGTGCGTTCTGGTGACGGCGCTGCAAAATGT ATCATTGATGGGCCAGAATAA 10 Nucleic acid sequence ATGACTGCTAACCCTTCCTTGGTGTTGAACAAGATCGACGA of exemplary xylitol CATTTCGTTCGAAACTTACGATGCCCCAGAAATCTCTGAAC dehydrogenase from CTACCGATGTCCTCGTCCAGGTCAAGAAAACCGGTATCTGT Pichia stipitis GGTTCCGACATCCACTTCTACGCCCATGGTAGAATCGGTAA (No more XYL2 gene CTTCGTTTTGACCAAGCCAATGGTCTTGGGTCACGAATCCG sequence available in CCGGTACTGTTGTCCAGGTTGGTAAGGGTGTCACCTCTCTTA Metschnikowia spp.) AGGTTGGTGACAACGTCGCTATCGAACCAGGTATTCCATCC AGATTCTCCGACGAATACAAGAGCGGTCACTACAACTTGTG TCCTCACATGGCCTTCGCCGCTACTCCTAACTCCAAGGAAG GCGAACCAAACCCACCAGGTACCTTATGTAAGTACTTCAAG TCGCCAGAAGACTTCTTGGTCAAGTTGCCAGACCACGTCAG CTTGGAACTCGGTGCTCTTGTTGAGCCATTGTCTGTTGGTGT CCACGCCTCCAAGTTGGGTTCCGTTGCTTTCGGCGACTACGT TGCCGTCTTTGGTGCTGGTCCTGTTGGTCTTTTGGCTGCTGC TGTCGCCAAGACCTTCGGTGCTAAGGGTGTCATCGTCGTTG ACATTTTCGACAACAAGTTGAAGATGGCCAAGGACATTGGT GCTGCTACTCACACCTTCAACTCCAAGACCGGTGGTTCTGA AGAATTGATCAAGGCTTTCGGTGGTAACGTGCCAAACGTCG TTTTGGAATGTACTGGTGCTGAACCTTGTATCAAGTTGGGT GTTGACGCCATTGCCCCAGGTGGTCGTTTCGTTCAAGTTGGT AACGCTGCTGGTCCAGTCAGCTTCCCAATCACCGTTTTCGCC ATGAAGGAATTGACTTTGTTCGGTTCTTTCAGATACGGATTC AACGACTACAAGACTGCTGTTGGAATCTTTGACACTAACTA CCAAAACGGTAGAGAAAATGCTCCAATTGACTTTGAACAAT TGATCACCCACAGATACAAGTTCAAGGACGCTATTGAAGCC TACGACTTGGTCAGAGCCGGTAAGGGTGCTGTCAAGTGTCT CATTGACGGCCCTGAGTAA

As used herein, the term “xylose” refers to a five carbon monosaccharide with a formyl functional group having the chemical formula of C₅H₁₀O₅, a Molar mass of 150.13 g/mol, and one IUPAC name of (3R,4S,5R)-oxane-2,3,4,5-tetrol. Xylose is also known in the art as D-xylose, D-xylopyranose, xyloside, d-(+)-xylose, xylopyranose, wood sugar, xylomed and D-xylopentose.

As used herein, the term “xylose reductase” refers to an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of xylose to produce xylitol. Such reduction of xylose includes an enzyme that uses NADH or NADPH as a cofactor. An exemplary xylose reductase includes an enzyme that is classified under E.C. 1.1.1.307. The term “Metschnikowia xylose reductase” or grammatical equivalent thereof refers to a xylose reductase from a Metschnikowia species. Table 2 provides both amino acid and nucleic acid sequences of exemplary xylose reductases.

TABLE 2 SEQ ID NO: Description Sequence 11. Amino acid sequence MATIKLNSGYDMPQVGFGCWKVTNSTCADTIYNAIKVGYRLF of XYL1 protein from DGAEDYGNEKEVGEGINRAIDEGLVARDELFVVSKLWNNFHH H0 Metschnikowia sp. PDNVEKALDKTLGDLNVEYLDLFLIHFPIAFKFVPFEEKYPPGF YCGEGDKFIYEDVPLLDTWRALEKFVKKGKIRSIGISNFSGALI QDLLRGAEIPPAVLQIEHHPYLQQPRLIEYVQSKGIAITAYSSFG PQSFVELDHPKVKECVTLFEHEDIVSIAKAHDKSAGQVLLRWA TQRGLAVIPKSNKTERLLLNLNVNDFDLSEAELEQIAKLDVGL RFNNPWDWDKIPIFH* 12. Amino acid sequence MATIKLSSGHLMPLVGFGCWKVDNATAADQIYNAIKAGYRLF of exemplary xylose DGAEDYGNEKEVGDGLKRAIDEGLVKREELFITSKLWNNYHD reductase from PKNVETALNRTLSDLQLDYVDLFLIHFPIAFKFVPLEEKYPPGF Spathaspora YCGDGNNFHYENVPLLDTWKALEKLVQAGKIKSIGISNFPGAL passalidarum CBS IYDLVRGATIKPAVLQIEHHPYLQQPKLIEYVQKQGIAITAYSSF 10155; Xyll.lp GPQSFLELNQNRALNTPTLFEHDTIKSISTRLNKTPAQVLLRWA TQRNIAVIPKSNNPARLAQNLDVTSFDLTEEDFNAISALDINLR FNDPWDWDNIPIFV 13. Amino acid sequence MSFKLSSGYEMPKIGFGTWKMDKATIPQQIYDAIKGGIRSFDG of exemplary xylose AEDYGNEKEVGLGYKKAIEDGLVKRGDLFITSKLWNNFHDPK reductase from NVEKALDRTLADLQLDYVDLFLIHFPIAFKFVPLEERYPPCFYC Spathaspora GDGDNFHYEDVPLLETWKALEALVKKGKIRSLGVSNFTGALL passalidarum LDLLRGATIKPAVLQVEHHPYLQQPRLIEFAQKQGIVVTAYSSF UFMGCMY469; GPQSFTELNQNRANNTPRLFDHEVIKKIAARRGRTPAQVILRW Xy11.2p ATQRNVVIIPKSDTPERLVENLAVFDFDLTEEDFKEIAALDANL RFNDPWDWDHIPIFV* 14. Amino acid sequence MSTIKLNSGYEMPQVGFGCWKVTNDTCADTIYNAIKVGYRLF of exemplary xylose DGAQDYGNEKEVGQGLNRAIDEGLVARDELFVVSKLWNNFH reductase from HPDNVEKALDKTLGDLNVEYLDLFLIHFPIAFKFVPFEEKYPPG Metschnikowia FYCGDGDKFHYEDVPLLDTWRALEKMVKKGKIRSIGISNFSG bicuspidata var. ALIQDLLRGAEIAPAVLQIEHHPYLQQPRLVEYVKSKGIAITAY bicuspidate NRRL SSFGPQSFIELDHPKVKECVTLFDHDTILSVARAHNKSAGQVLL YB-4993 RWATQRGLAVIPKSNKTERLVQNLEVNDFDLSDAELKSISKLD VGLRFNNPWDWDKIPIFH 15. Amino acid sequence MATIKLNSGYEMPQVGFGCWKVDNKTCADQIYNAIKVGYRL of exemplary xylose FDGAEDYGNEKEVGEGINRAIADGLVARDELFVVSKLWNNFH reductase from HPDNVEKALDKTLSDLNLEYLDLFLIHFPIAFKFVPFEEKYPPG Clavispora lusitaniae FYCGDTNKFIYEDVPIIDTWRALEKLVEKGKIRSIGVSNFNGSL ATCC 42720 LLDLLRAAKIKPAVLQIEHHPYLQQPQLIKWVKSKGIAVTAYS SFGPQSFVELNHPKVGSCTTLFEHEDIVSIAKKHGKSPGQVLLR WATQNGLAVIPKSNKTERLVQNLNVNDFDLSASDLSAIAKLDI GLRFNDPWDWDEIPIFH 16. Amino acid sequence MSIKLNSGYDMPSVGFGCWKVDNATCADTIYNAIKVGYRLFD of exemplary xylose GAEDYGNEKEVGDGINRALDEGLVARDELFVVSKLWNSFHDP reductase from KNVEKALDKTLSDLKVDYLDLFLIHFPIAFKFVPFEEKYPPGFY Meyerozyma CGDGDKFHYEDVPLIDTWRALEKLVEKGKIRSIGISNFSGALIQ guilliermondii DLLRSAKIKPAVLQIEHHPYLQQPRLVEYVQSQGIAITAYSSFG PQSFVELDHPRVKDVKPLFEHDVIKSVAGKVKKTPAQVLLRW ATQRGLAVIPKSNNPDRLLSNLKVNDFDLSQEDFQEISKLDIEL RFNNPWDWDKIPTFI 17. Amino acid sequence MSTTVNTPTIKLNSGYEMPLVGFGCWKVTNATAADQIYNAIK of exemplary xylose TGYRLFDGAEDYGNEKEVGEGINRAIKDGLVKREELFITSKLW reductase from NNFHDPKNVETALNKTLSDLNLDYVDLFLIHFPIAFKFVPIEEK Candida tropicalis YPPGFYCGDGDNFHYEDVPLLDTWKALEKLVEAGKIKSIGISN FTGALIYDLIRGATIKPAVLQIEHHPYLQQPKLIEYVQKAGIAIT GYSSFGPQSFLELESKRALNTPTLFEHETIKSIADKHGKSPAQV LLRWATQRNIAVIPKSNNPERLAQNLSVVDFDLTKDDLDNIAK LDIGLRFNDPWDWDNIPIFV 18. Amino acid sequence MPSIKLNSGYDMPAVGFGCWKVDVDTCSEQIYRAIKTGYRLF of exemplary xylose DGAEDYANEKLVGAGVKKAIDEGIVKREDLFLTSKLWNNYH reductase from HPDNVEKALNRTLSDLQVDYVDLFLIHFPVTFKFVPLEEKYPP Scheffersomyces GFYCGKGDNFDYEDVPILETWKALEKLVKAGKIRSIGVSNFPG stipitis CBS 6054 ALLLDLLRGATIKPSVLQVEHHPYLQQPRLIEFAQSRGIAVTAY SSFGPQSFVELNQGRALNTSPLFENETIKAIAAKHGKSPAQVLL RWSSQRGIAIIPKSNTVPRLLENKDVNSFDLDEQDFADIAKLDI NLRFNDPWDWDKIPIFV 19. Nucleic acid sequence ATGGCTACTATCAAATTGAACTCTGGATACGACATGCCCCA of XYL1 gene from H0 AGTGGGTTTTGGGTGCTGGAAAGTAACTAACAGTACATGTG Metschnikowia sp. CTGATACGATCTACAACGCGATCAAAGTTGGCTACAGATTA TTTGATGGCGCTGAAGATTACGGGAACGAGAAAGAGGTGG GCGAAGGAATCAACAGGGCCATTGACGAAGGCTTGGTGGC ACGTGACGAGTTGTTCGTGGTGTCCAAGCTCTGGAACAACT TCCATCATCCAGACAACGTCGAGAAGGCGTTGGACAAGACT TTGGGCGACTTGAATGTCGAGTACTTGGACTTGTTCTTGATC CATTTCCCAATTGCGTTCAAATTCGTGCCCTTTGAGGAGAA ATACCCGCCCGGCTTCTACTGTGGAGAAGGCGATAAGTTTA TCTACGAGGATGTGCCTTTGCTTGACACGTGGCGGGCATTG GAGAAGTTTGTGAAGAAGGGTAAGATCAGATCCATCGGAA TCTCGAACTTTTCCGGCGCGTTGATCCAGGACTTGCTCAGG GGCGCCGAGATCCCCCCTGCCGTGTTGCAGATTGAGCACCA CCCATACTTGCAGCAGCCCAGATTGATTGAGTATGTGCAGT CCAAGGGTATTGCCATCACAGCCTACTCCTCTTTTGGCCCAC AGTCGTTTGTGGAGTTGGACCACCCCAAGGTCAAGGAGTGT GTCACGCTTTTCGAGCACGAAGACATTGTTTCCATCGCTAA AGCTCACGACAAGTCCGCGGGCCAGGTATTATTGAGGTGGG CCACGCAAAGGGGTCTTGCCGTGATTCCAAAGTCAAACAAA ACCGAGCGTTTGTTGCTGAATTTGAATGTGAACGATTTTGA TCTCTCTGAAGCAGAATTGGAGCAAATCGCAAAGTTGGACG TGGGCTTGCGCTTCAACAACCCTTGGGACTGGGACAAGATT CCAATCTTCCATTAA 20. Nucleic acid sequence ATGGCTACTATTAAATTATCCTCAGGTCACTTGATGCCTTTA of exemplary xylose GTTGGTTTCGGTTGTTGGAAGGTCGACAACGCTACCGCTGC reductase from TGACCAAATCTACAACGCTATCAAGGCTGGTTACAGATTAT Spathaspora TCGACGGTGCTGAAGATTACGGTAACGAAAAGGAAGTCGG passalidarum CBS TGACGGTTTAAAGAGAGCCATTGATGAAGGTCTCGTCAAGA 10155; XYL1.1 GAGAAGAATTATTCATCACCTCTAAGTTATGGAACAACTAC CACGACCCAAAGAACGTTGAAACTGCTTTAAACAGAACCTT ATCCGATTTACAATTGGACTACGTTGATTTATTCTTGATCCA CTTCCCAATTGCTTTCAAGTTCGTTCCATTAGAAGAAAAAT ACCCACCAGGTTTCTACTGTGGTGACGGTAACAACTTCCAC TATGAAAATGTTCCATTATTGGACACTTGGAAGGCCTTGGA AAAGTTAGTTCAAGCTGGTAAGATCAAGTCTATCGGTATCT CTAACTTCCCTGGTGCTTTAATCTACGACTTGGTCAGAGGTG CTACCATCAAGCCAGCTGTTTTACAAATTGAACACCACCCA TACTTACAACAACCAAAGTTGATTGAATACGTCCAAAAGCA AGGTATTGCTATTACCGCTTACTCTTCTTTCGGTCCTCAATC TTTCTTGGAATTGAACCAAAACAGAGCTTTAAACACCCCAA CCTTGTTTGAACACGACACCATCAAGTCTATCTCTACCAGA TTAAACAAGACCCCAGCTCAAGTCTTATTAAGATGGGCCAC CCAAAGAAACATTGCTGTTATTCCAAAGTCTAACAACCCAG CTAGATTAGCTCAAAACTTGGACGTCACCTCTTTCGACTTG ACCGAAGAAGACTTCAACGCTATCTCTGCTTTGGACATCAA CTTGAGATTCAACGACCCATGGGACTGGGACAACATTCCAA TCTTCGTTTAA 21. Nucleic acid sequence ATGTCTTTTAAATTATCTTCAGGTTATGAAATGCCAAAAATC of exemplary xylose GGTTTTGGTACTTGGAAGATGGACAAGGCCACCATTCCTCA reductase from GCAAATTTACGATGCTATCAAGGGTGGTATCAGATCATTCG Spathaspora ATGGTGCTGAAGATTATGGTAACGAAAAGGAAGTTGGTCTT passalidarum GGTTACAAGAAGGCTATTGAAGACGGTCTTGTTAAGAGAG UFMGCMY469; GAGATCTTTTTATTACCTCCAAGTTATGGAATAACTTCCATG XYL1.2 ACCCAAAGAATGTGGAAAAGGCTTTAGACAGAACTTTAGCT GATTTGCAATTGGATTACGTCGACTTATTTTTAATTCATTTC CCAATTGCTTTCAAGTTTGTTCCATTGGAAGAAAGATACCC ACCTTGCTTCTACTGTGGTGATGGTGACAACTTCCATTATGA AGATGTCCCATTATTGGAAACCTGGAAGGCTTTAGAAGCCT TGGTTAAGAAGGGTAAGATTAGATCACTTGGTGTTTCTAAC TTCACTGGTGCTTTGTTGTTAGATTTACTTAGAGGTGCTACC ATTAAGCCAGCTGTTTTGCAAGTCGAACATCATCCATACTT GCAACAACCAAGATTAATTGAATTTGCTCAAAAGCAAGGTA TTGTTGTCACTGCTTACTCTTCATTTGGTCCTCAATCTTTCAC TGAATTGAACCAAAACAGAGCTAACAACACTCCAAGATTGT TTGACCACGAAGTCATAAAGAAGATTGCTGCTAGAAGGGG CAGAACTCCAGCTCAAGTTATCTTAAGATGGGCCACCCAAA GAAATGTCGTGATTATTCCAAAATCCGATACTCCAGAAAGA TTGGTCGAAAACTTGGCTGTCTTTGACTTTGACTTAACTGAA GAAGATTTCAAAGAAATTGCTGCCTTGGATGCTAATTTGAG ATTTAATGACCCATGGGACTGGGACCATATTCCAATCTTTG TTTAA 22.  Nucleic acid sequence ATGAGCACTATCAAATTGAACTCGGGCTACGAAATGCCCCA of exemplary xylose AGTGGGCTTTGGCTGCTGGAAGGTGACAAACGACACTTGCG reductase from CGGATACTATCTACAATGCCATCAAAGTGGGGTACAGATTG Metschnikowia TTCGATGGTGCCCAAGACTACGGAAATGAAAAAGAAGTTG bicuspidata var. GCCAGGGACTCAACAGAGCGATCGATGAAGGATTGGTGGC bicuspidate NRRL ACGTGATGAGTTATTTGTGGTATCCAAGCTTTGGAACAATT YB-4993 TCCATCACCCAGACAATGTTGAAAAGGCCCTAGACAAGAC ATTGGGTGACTTGAACGTCGAATACTTGGACTTATTTCTCAT CCACTTTCCCATTGCTTTCAAATTTGTTCCCTTTGAGGAAAA GTACCCACCTGGGTTCTACTGCGGTGACGGCGACAAATTCC ATTACGAGGACGTGCCTTTGCTCGACACGTGGCGGGCTTTG GAGAAAATGGTCAAGAAAGGTAAAATCAGATCCATTGGTA TTTCGAACTTTTCTGGAGCTTTGATCCAAGACTTGCTTAGGG GCGCTGAAATTGCTCCCGCTGTTCTACAAATTGAACACCAC CCATACTTGCAACAGCCCCGGTTGGTTGAGTATGTGAAATC AAAGGGCATTGCTATTACTGCCTACTCGTCTTTTGGCCCACA GTCTTTTATCGAGTTAGATCACCCTAAAGTAAAGGAATGCG TCACTTTGTTTGACCATGACACAATTTTGTCCGTTGCCAGAG CACACAATAAGTCTGCCGGCCAAGTTTTGTTGAGATGGGCC ACTCAAAGAGGTCTTGCAGTTATTCCCAAATCTAACAAGAC AGAACGCTTGGTGCAAAACTTGGAGGTAAACGACTTTGACC TTTCTGACGCTGAGTTGAAGTCCATCTCCAAGCTAGATGTG GGGTTGCGTTTCAACAACCCTTGGGACTGGGACAAGATTCC TATCTTCCACTGA 23. Nucleic acid sequence ATGGCCACTATTAAGTTGAACTCAGGATACGAGATGCCTCA of exemplary xylose GGTTGGTTTCGGCTGCTGGAAAGTCGACAACAAAACCTGTG reductase from CTGACCAAATCTACAATGCCATCAAAGTCGGTTACAGATTG Clavispora lusitaniae TTTGACGGCGCTGAAGATTATGGTAACGAAAAAGAAGTTG ATCC 42720 GCGAAGGTATCAACAGAGCCATTGCTGATGGCTTGGTTGCT CGTGACGAGTTATTCGTTGTCTCGAAGCTCTGGAACAACTT CCATCACCCTGACAATGTGGAAAAAGCTTTGGACAAGACAT TGAGCGACTTGAACCTCGAGTACCTTGACTTGTTTTTGATCC ATTTCCCAATTGCTTTCAAGTTTGTTCCTTTCGAAGAAAAGT ACCCTCCAGGATTCTACTGTGGAGACACCAACAAGTTCATT TACGAAGACGTTCCAATCATTGACACTTGGAGAGCTTTGGA AAAGTTGGTGGAAAAGGGAAAGATTAGATCCATTGGTGTTT CCAACTTCAATGGCTCCTTGCTTCTCGACTTGCTTAGAGCTG CTAAGATCAAGCCTGCTGTTTTGCAAATCGAGCACCACCCA TACTTGCAACAACCACAGTTGATCAAATGGGTCAAGAGCAA AGGAATTGCTGTGACTGCGTACTCTTCGTTTGGTCCTCAATC ATTCGTTGAGTTGAACCACCCTAAGGTCGGTAGCTGCACCA CATTGTTCGAACACGAAGACATTGTCTCCATCGCCAAAAAG CATGGAAAGAGCCCTGGCCAAGTCTTGTTGAGATGGGCTAC TCAGAACGGTCTTGCTGTTATTCCAAAGTCCAACAAAACCG AACGTTTGGTTCAGAACTTGAATGTCAACGATTTTGACCTTT CTGCTCTGGACTTGAGTGCCATTGCTAAATTGGACATTGGC TTGCGTTTCAATGATCCATGGGACTGGGATGAAATCCCAAT CTTCCACTAG 24. Nucleic acid sequence ATGTCTATCAAGTTAAACTCTGGATATGACATGCCCTCGGT of exemplary xylose GGGTTTTGGCTGCTGGAAGGTCGACAATGCCACCTGTGCCG reductase from ACACCATCTACAATGCCATCAAGGTGGGATACAGATTATTT Meyerozyma GACGGAGCCGAGGATTACGGTAACGAAAAGGAAGTGGGAG guilliermondii ATGGTATTAATAGAGCACTCGATGAGGGCTTGGTTGCCAGA GATGAGCTTTTCGTTGTTTCCAAGCTCTGGAACTCGTTCCAT GACCCCAAAAACGTGGAAAAGGCGTTGGACAAAACATTGA GCGACTTGAAGGTGGACTACCTTGACTTGTTCTTGATCCACT TTCCAATTGCTTTCAAGTTTGTTCCCTTCGAGGAGAAATATC CTCCAGGATTCTACTGTGGAGATGGGGACAAGTTCCACTAC GAGGACGTGCCACTCATCGACACCTGGAGAGCATTGGAGA AGTTGGTGGAGAAGGGTAAAATCAGATCCATTGGTATTTCC AACTTTAGTGGTGCGTTGATCCAGGACTTGTTGAGAAGTGC CAAAATCAAGCCAGCAGTGTTGCAGATCGAACACCACCCTT ACTTGCAGCAACCAAGATTGGTTGAGTACGTTCAATCTCAA GGCATCGCCATCACCGCATACTCGTCTTTCGGACCCCAATC TTTCGTGGAATTGGACCACCCTCGTGTCAAGGATGTCAAGC CATTGTTCGAGCACGACGTCATCAAGTCCGTTGCTGGCAAA GTCAAGAAGACCCCAGCACAGGTGTTGTTGAGATGGGCCA CTCAAAGAGGACTTGCCGTGATTCCCAAGTCGAACAATCCC GATAGGTTGTTGAGCAACTTGAAGGTGAACGACTTTGATTT GTCGCAAGAAGACTTCCAAGAAATCTCCAAGTTGGACATTG AATTGAGATTCAACAATCCTTGGGACTGGGACAAGATTCCA ACTTTCATCTAA 25. Nucleic acid sequence ATGTCTACTACTGTTAATACTCCTACTATTAAATTAAACTCC of exemplary xylose GGTTATGAAATGCCATTAGTTGGTTTCGGATGTTGGAAAGT reductase from CACCAATGCCACTGCCGCTGACCAAATCTACAATGCCATTA Candida tropicalis AAACTGGTTACAGATTATTTGATGGTGCTGAAGATTACGGT AACGAAAAAGAAGTTGGTGAAGGTATCAACAGAGCCATTA AAGATGGATTAGTTAAAAGAGAAGAATTATTCATCACTTCT AAATTATGGAACAATTTCCATGATCCAAAGAATGTTGAAAC TGCTTTAAACAAAACTTTAAGTGACTTGAACTTGGACTATG TTGATTTATTCTTGATTCATTTCCCAATTGCTTTTAAATTTGT TCCAATTGAAGAAAAATACCCACCTGGTTTCTACTGTGGTG ATGGTGATAACTTCCACTATGAAGATGTTCCATTATTAGAT ACTTGGAAAGCTTTGGAAAAATTGGTTGAAGCTGGTAAGAT CAAATCTATTGGTATTTCCAATTTCACTGGTGCTTTGATTTA CGATTTGATCAGAGGTGCTACTATCAAACCAGCTGTTTTAC AAATTGAACATCACCCATACTTGCAACAACCAAAATTGATT GAATATGTTCAAAAAGCTGGTATTGCCATTACTGGTTACTC TTCATTTGGTCCACAATCATTCTTGGAATTAGAATCCAAGA GAGCTTTGAATACCCCAACTTTATTTGAACATGAAACTATT AAATCAATTGCTGATAAACATGGTAAATCTCCAGCTCAAGT TTTATTAAGATGGGCTACTCAAAGAAATATTGCTGTTATTCC AAAATCAAACAATCCAGAAAGATTAGCTCAAAACTTGTCTG TTGTTGACTTTGACTTGACTAAGGATGATTTGGACAATATTG CTAAATTGGACATTGGTTTGAGATTCAATGATCCATGGGAC TGGGACAACATTCCAATCTTTGTTTAA 26. Nucleic acid sequence ATGCCTTCTATTAAGTTGAACTCTGGTTACGACATGCCAGC of exemplary xylose CGTCGGTTTCGGCTGTTGGAAAGTCGACGTCGACACCTGTT reductase from CTGAACAGATCTACCGTGCTATCAAGACCGGTTACAGATTG Scheffersomyces TTCGACGGTGCCGAAGATTACGCCAACGAAAAGTTAGTTGG stipitis CBS 6054 TGCCGGTGTCAAGAAGGCCATTGACGAAGGTATCGTCAAGC GTGAAGACTTGTTCCTTACCTCCAAGTTGTGGAACAACTAC CACCACCCAGACAACGTCGAAAAGGCCTTGAACAGAACCC TTTCTGACTTGCAAGTTGACTACGTTGACTTGTTCTTGATCC ACTTCCCAGTCACCTTCAAGTTCGTTCCATTAGAAGAAAAG TACCCACCAGGATTCTACTGTGGTAAGGGTGACAACTTCGA CTACGAAGATGTTCCAATTTTAGAGACCTGGAAGGCTCTTG AAAAGTTGGTCAAGGCCGGTAAGATCAGATCTATCGGTGTT TCTAACTTCCCAGGTGCTTTGCTCTTGGACTTGTTGAGAGGT GCTACCATCAAGCCATCTGTCTTGCAAGTTGAACACCACCC ATACTTGCAACAACCAAGATTGATCGAATTCGCTCAATCCC GTGGTATTGCTGTCACCGCTTACTCTTCGTTCGGTCCTCAAT CTTTCGTTGAATTGAACCAAGGTAGAGCTTTGAACACTTCT CCATTGTTCGAGAACGAAACTATCAAGGCTATCGCTGCTAA GCACGGTAAGTCTCCAGCTCAAGTCTTGTTGAGATGGTCTT CCCAAAGAGGCATTGCCATCATTCCAAAGTCCAACACTGTC CCAAGATTGTTGGAAAACAAGGACGTCAACAGCTTCGACTT GGACGAACAAGATTTCGCTGACATTGCCAAGTTGGACATCA ACTTGAGATTCAACGACCCATGGGACTGGGACAAGATTCCT ATCTTCGTCTAA

As used herein, the term “xylose transporter” refers to a membrane protein that facilitates the movement of xylose across a cell membrane. The term “Metschnikowia xylose transporter” or grammatical equivalent thereof refers to a xylose transporter from a Metschnikowia species. Table 3 provides both amino acid and nucleic acid sequences of exemplary xylose transporters.

TABLE 3 SEQ ID NO: Description Sequence 27. Amino acid sequence MGYEEKLVAPALKFKNFLDKTPNIHNVYVIAAISCTSGMMFGF of Xyt1p for H0 DISSMSVFVDQQPYLKMFDNPSSVIQGFITASMSLGSFFGSLTS Metschnikowia sp. TFISEPFGRRASLFICGILWVIGAAVQSSSQNRAQLICGRIIAGW GIGFGSSVAPVYGSEMAPRKIRGTIGGIFQFSVTVGIFIMFLIGY GCSFIQGKASFRIPWGVQMVPGLILLIGLFFIPESPRWLAKQGY WEDAEIIVANVQAKGNRNDANVQIEMSEIKDQLMLDEHLKEF TYADLFTKKYRQRTITAIFAQIWQQLTGMNVMMYYIVYIFQM AGYSGNTNLVPSLIQYIINMAVTVPALFCLDLLGRRTILLAGAA FMMAWQFGVAGILATYSEPAYISDTVRITIPDDHKSAAKGVIA CCYLFVCSFAFSWGVGIWVYCSEVVVGDSQSRQRGAALATSA NWIFNFAIAMFTPSSFKNITWKTYIIYATFCACMFIHVFFFFP ETKGKRLEEIGQLWDEGVPAWRSAKWQPTVPLASDAELAHKMD VAHAEHADLLATHSPSSDEKTGTV 28. Amino acid sequence MSQDELHTKSGVETPINDSLLEEKHDVTPLAALPEKSFKDYISI of Gxf1p from H0 SIFCLFVAFGGFVFGFDTGTISGFVNMSDFKTRFGEMNAQGEY Metschnikowia sp. YLSNVRTGLMVSIFNVGCAVGGIFLCKIADVYGRRIGLMFSMV VYVVGIIIQIASTTKWYQYFIGRLIAGLAVGTVSVISPLFISEVAP KQLRGTLVCCFQLCITLGIFLGYCTTYGTKTYTDSRQWRIPLGI CFAWALFLVAGMLNMPESPRYLVEKSRIDDARKSIARSNKVS EEDPAVYTEVQLIQAGIDREALAGSATWMELVTGKPKIFRRVI MGVMLQSLQQLTGDNYFFYYGTTIFKAVGLQDSFQTSIILGIV NFASTFVGIYAIERMGRRLCLLTGSACMFVCFIIYSLIGTQHLY KNGFSNEPSNTYKPSGNAMIFITCLYIFFFASTWAGGVYCIVSE SYPLRIRSKAMSVATAANWMVVGFLISFFTPFITSAIHFYYGFVF TGCLAFSFFYVYFFVVETKGLSLEEVDILYASGTLPWKSSGWVP 29. Amino acid sequence MSDFKTRFGEMNAQGEYYLSNVRTGLMVSIFNVGCAVGGIFL of ΔGxf1p (variant of CKIADVYGRRIGLMFSMVVYVVGIIIQIASTTKWYQYFIGRLIA Gxf1p with shorter N- GLAVGTVSVISPLFISEVAPKQLRGTLVCCFQLCITLGIFLGYCT terminus) from H0 TYGTKTYTDSRQWRIPLGICFAWALFLVAGMLNMPESPRYLV Metschnikowia sp. EKSRIDDARKSIARSNKVSEEDPAVYIEVQLIQAGIDREALAGS ATWMELVTGKPKIFRRVIMGVMLQSLQQLTGDNYFFYYGTTI FKAVGLQDSFQTSIILGIVNFASTFVGIYAIERMGRRLCLLTGSA CMFVCFIIYSLIGTQHLYKNGFSNEPSNTYKPSGNAMIFITCLYI FFFASTWAGGVYCIVSESYPLRIRSKAMSVATAANWMWGFLI SFFTPFITSAIHFYYGFVFTGCLAFSFFYVYFFVVETKGLSLEEV DILYASGTLPWKSSGWVP 30. Amino acid sequence MSAEQEQQVSGTSATIDGLASLKQEKTAEEEDAFKPKPATAYF of Gxf2p from H0 FISFLCGLVAFGGYVFGFDTGTISGFVNMDDYLMRFGQQHAD Metschnikowia sp. GTYYLSNVRTGLIVSIFNIGCAVGGLALSKVGDIWGRRIGIMV AMIIYMVGIIIQIASQDKWYQYFIGRLITGLGVGTTSVLSPLFISE SAPKHLRGTLVCCFQLMVTLGIFLGYCTTYGTKNYTDSRQWR IPLGLCFAWALLLISGMVFMPESPRFLIERQRFDEAKASVAKSN QVSTEDPAVYTEVELIQAGIDREALAGSAGWKELITGKPKMLQ RVILGMMLQSIQQLTGNNYFFYYGTTIFKAVGMSDSFQTSIVL GIVNFASTFVGIWAIERMGRRSCLLVGSACMSVCFLIYSILGSV NLYIDGYENTPSNTRKPTGNAMIFITCLFIFFFASTWAGGVYSI VSETYPLRIRSKGMAVATAANWMWGFLISFFTPFITSAIHFYY GFVFTGCLIFSFFYVFFFVRETKGLSLEEVDELYATDLPPWKTA GWTPPSAEDMAHTTGFAEAAKPTNKHV 31. Amino acid sequence MGLESNKLIRKYINVGEKRAGSSGMGIFVGVFAALGGVLFGY of Gxs1p from H0 DTGTISGVMAMPWVKEHFPKDRVAFSASESSLIVSILSAGTFFG Metschnikowia sp. AILAPLLTDTLGRRWCIIISSLVVFNLGAALQTAATDIPLLIVGR VIAGLGVGLISSTIPLYQSEALPKWIRGAVVSCYQWAITIGIFLA AVINQGTHKINSPASYRIPLGIQMAWGLILGVGMFFLPETPRFY ISKGQNAKAAVSLARLRKLPQDHPELLEELEDIQAAYEFETVH GKSSWSQVFTNKNKQLKKLATGVCLQAFQQLTGVNFIFYFGT TFFNSVGLDGFTTSLATNIVNVGSTIPGILGVEIFGRRKVLLTGA AGMCLSQFIVAIVGVATDSKAANQVLIAFCCIFIAFFAATWGPT AWVVCGEIFPLRTRAKSIAMCAASNWLLNWAIAYATPYLVDS DKGNLGTNVFFIWGSCNFFCLVFAYFMIYETKGLSLEQVDELY EKVASARKSPGFVPSEHAFREHADVETAMPDNFNLKAEAISVE DASV 32. Amino acid sequence MGLESNKLIRKYINVGEKRAGSSGMGIFVGVFAALGGVLFGY of Hgt12p from H0 DTGTISGVMAMPWVKEHFPKDRVAFSASESSLIVSILSAGTFFG Metschnikowia sp. AILAPLLTDTLGRRWCIIISSLVVFNLGAALQTAATDIPLLIVGR VIAGLGVGLISSTIPLYQSEALPKWIRGAVVSCYQWAITIGIFLA AVINQGTHKINSPASYRIPLGIQMAWGLILGVGMFFLPETPRFY ISKGQNAKAAVSLARLRKLPQDHPELLEELEDIQAAYEFETVH GKSSWSQVFTNKNKQLKKLATGVCLQAFQQLTGVNFIFYFGT TFFNSVGLDGFTTSLATNIVNVGSTIPGILGVEIFGRRKVLLTGA AGMCLSQFIVAIVGVATDSKAANQVLIAFCCIFIAFFAATWGPT AWVVCGEIFPLRTRAKSIAMCAASNWLLNWAIAYATPYLVDS DKGNLGTNVFFIWGSCNFFCLVFAYFMIYETKGLSLEQVDELY EKVASARKSPGFVPSEHAFREHADVETAMPDNFNLKAEAISVE DASV 33. Amino acid sequence MSIFEGKDGKGVSSIESLSNDVRYDNMEKVDQDVLRHNFNFD of Hxt5p from H0 KEFEELEIEAAQVNDKPSFVDRILSLEYKLHFENKNHMVVVLLG Metschnikowia sp. AFAAAAGLLSGLDQSIISGASIGMNKALNLTEREASLVSSLMPL GAMAGSMIMTPLNEWFGRKSSLITSCIWYTIGSALCAGARDHH MMYAGRFILGVGVGIEGGCVGIYISESVPANVRGSIVSMYQFN IALGEVLGYAVAAIFYTVHGGWRFMVGSSLVFSTILFAGLFFL PESPRWLVHKGRNGMAYDVWKRLRDINDESAKLEFLEMRQA AYQERERRSQESLFSSWGELFTIARNRRALTYSVIMITLGQLTG VNAVMYYMSTLMGAIGFNEKDSVFMSLVGGGSLLIGTIPAIL WMDRFGRRVVVGYNLVGFFVGLVLVGVGYRFNPVTQKAASE GVYLTGLIVYFLFFGSYSTLTWVIPSESFDLRTRSLGMTICSTFL YLWSFTVTYNFTKMSAAFTYTGLTLGFYGGIAFLGLIYQVCFM PETKDKTLEEIDDIFNRSAFSIARENISNLKKGIW 34. Amino acid sequence MSSTTDTLEKRDIEPFTSDAPVTVHDYIAEERPWWKVPHLRV of Hxt2.6p from H0 LTWSVFVITLTSTNNGYDGSMLNGLQSLDIWQEDLGHPAGQK Metschnikowia sp. LGALANGVLFGNLAAVPFASYFCDRFGRRPVICFGQILTIVGA VLQGLSNSYGFFLGSRIVLGFGAMIATIPSPTLISEIAYPTHRETS TFAYNVCWYLGAIIASWVTYGTRDLQSKACWSIPSYLQAALP FFQVCMIWFVPESPRFLVAKGKIDQARAVLSKYHTGDSTDPRD VALVDFELHEIESALEQEKLNTRSSYFDFFKKRNFRKRGFLCV MVGVAMQLSGNGLVSYYLSKVLDSIGITETKRQLEINGCLMIY NFVICVSLMSVCRMFKRRVLFLTCFSGMTVCYTIWTILSALNE QRHFEDKGLANGVLAMIFFYYFFYNVGINGLPFLYITEILPYSH RAKGLNLFQFSQFLTQIYNGYVNPIAMDAISWKYYIVYCCILF VELVIVFFTFPETSGYTLEEVAQVFGDEAPGLHNRQLDVAKES LEHVEHV 35. Amino acid sequence MGFRNLKRRLSNVGDSMSVHSVKEEEDFSRVEIPDEIYNYKIV of Qup2p from H0 LVALTAASAAIIIGYDAGFIGGTVSLTAFKSEFGLDKMSATAAS Metschnikowia sp. AIEANVVSVFQAGAYFGCLFFYPIGEIWGRKIGLLLSGFLLTFG AAISLISNSSRGLGAIYAGRVLTGLGIGGCSSLAPIYVSEIAPAAI RGKLVGCWEVSWQVGGIVGYWINYGVLQTLPISSQQWIIPFA VQLIPSGLFWGLCLLIPESPRFLVSKGKIDKARKNLAYLRGLSE DHPYSVFELENISKAIEENFEQTGRGFFDPLKALFFSKKMLYRL LLSTSMFMMQNGYGINAVTYYSPTIFKSLGVQGSNAGLLSTGI FGLLKGAASVFWVFFLVDTFGRRFCLCYLSLPCSICMWYIGAY IKIANPSAKLAAGDTATTPAGTAAKAMLYIWTIFYGITWNGTT WVICAEIFPQSVRTAAQAVNASSNWFWAFMIGHFTGQALENI GYGYYFLFAACSAIFPVVVVVFVYPETKGVPLEAVEYLFEVRP WKAHSYALEKYQIEYNEGEFHQHKPEVLLQGSENSD 36. Amino acid sequence MGYEEKLVAPALKFKNFLDKTPNIHNVYVIAAISCTSGMMFGF of Aps1p/Hgt19p from DISSMSVFVDQQPYLKMFDNPSSVIQGFITASMSLGSFFGSLTS H0 Metschnikowia sp. TFISEPFGRRASLFICGILWVIGAAVQSSSQNRAQLICGRIIAGW GIGFGSSVAPVYGSEMAPRKIRGTIGGIFQFSVTVGIFIMFLIGY GCSFIQGKASFRIPWGVQMVPGLILLIGLFFIPESPRWLAKQGY WEDAEIIVANVQAKGNRNDANVQIEMSEIKDQLMLDEHLKEF TYADLFTKKYRQRTITAIFAQIWQQLTGMNVMMYYIVYIFQM AGYSGNTNLVPSLIQYIINMAVTVPALFCLDLLGRRTILLAGAA FMMAWQFGVAGILATYSEPAYISDTVRITIPDDHKSAAKGVIA CCYLFVCSFAFSWGVGIWVYCSEVWGDSQSRQRGAALATSA NWIFNFAIAMFTPSSFKNITWKTYIIYATFCACMFIHVFFFFPET KGKRLEEIGQLWDEGVPAWRSAKWQPTVPLASDAELAHKMD VAHAEHADLLATHSPSSDEKTGTV 37. Amino acid sequence MAYEDKLVAPALKFRNFLDKTPNIYNPYIISIISCIAGMMFGFDI of exemplary xylose SSMSAFVSLPAYVNYFDTPSAVIQGFITSAMALGSFFGSIASAF transporter from VSEPFGRRASLLTCSWFWMIGAAIQASSQNRAQLIIGRIISGFG Pichia gulliermondii; VGFGSSVAPVYGSEMAPRKIRGRIGGIFQLSVTLGIMIMFFISYG Axt1p TSHIKTAAAFRLAWALQIIPGLLMCIGVFFIPESPRWLAKQGH WDEAEIIVAKIQAKGDRENPDVLIEISEIKDQLMVDENAKAFT YADLFSKKYLPRTITAMFAQIWQQLTGMNVMMYYIVYIFEMA GYGGNGVLVSSTIQYVIFVVVTFVSLFFLDKFGRRKILLVGAAS MMTWQFAVAGILARYSVPYDLSDTVKIKIPDNHKSAAKGVIA CCYLFVASFGFSWGVGIWLYCSEVWGDSQSRQRGAAVSTASN WIFNFALAMFTPSSFKNITWKTYCIYATFCACMFIHVFFFFPET KGKRLEEIAQIWEEKIPAWKTTNWQPHVPLLSDHELAEKINAE HVENVNSREQSDDEKSQV 38. Amino acid sequence MSQDSHSSGAATPVNGSILEKEKEDSPVLQVDAPQKGFKDYIV of exemplary xylose ISIFCFMVAFGGFVFGFDTGTISGFVNMSDFKDRFGQHHADGT transporter from PYLSDVRVGLMISIFNVGCAVGGIFLCKVADVWGRRIGLMFS Candida intermedia MAVYVVGIIIQISSSTKWYQFFIGRLIAGLAVGTVSVVSPLFISE PYCC 4715; Gxf1p VSPKQIRGTLVCCFQLCITLGIFLGYCTTYGTKTYTDSRQWRIP LGLCFAWAILLVVGMLNMPESPRYLVEKHRIDEAKRSIARSNK IPEEDPFVYIEVQLIQAGIEREALAGQASWKELITGKPKIFRRVI MGIMLQSLQQLTGDNYFFYYGTTIFQAVGLKDSFQTSIILGIVN FASTFVGIYVIERLGRRLCLLTGSAAMFICFIIYSLIGTQHLYKQ GYSNETSNTYKASGNAMIFITCLYIFFFASTWAGGVYCIISESYP LRIRSKAMSIATAANWLWGFLISFFTPFITSAIHFYYGFVFTGCL AFSFFYVYFFVYETKGLSLEEVDEMYASGVLPLKSASWVPPNL EHMAHSAGYAGADKATDEQV 39. Amino acid sequence MGLEDNRMVKRFVNVGEKKAGSTAMAIIVGLFAASGGVLFG of exemplary YDTGTISGVMTMDYVLARYPSNKHSFTADESSLIVSILSVGTFF glucose/xylose GALCAPFLNDTLGRRWCLILSALIVFNIGAILQVISTAIPLLCAG symporter from RVIAGFGVGLISATIPLYQSETAPKWIRGAIVSCYQWAITIGLFL Candida intermedia; ASCVNKGTEHMTNSGSYRIPLAIQCLWGLILGIGMIFLPETPRF Gxs1p WISKGNQEKAAESLARLRKLPIDHPDSLEELRDITAAYEFETVY GKSSWSQVFSHKNHQLKRLFTGVAIQAFQQLTGVNFIFYYGTT FFKRAGVNGFTISLATNIVNVGSTIPGILLMEVLGRRNMLMGG ATGMSLSQLIVAIVGVATSENNKSSQSVLVAFSCIFIAFFAATW GPCAWVVVGELFPLRTRAKSVSLCTASNWLWNWGIAYATPY MVDEDKGNLGSNVFFIWGGFNLACVFFAWYFIYETKGLSLEQ VDELYEHVSKAWKSKGFVPSKHSFREQVDQQMDSKTEAIMSE EASV 40. Amino acid sequence MAVEENNMPVVSQQPQAGEDVISSLSKDSHLSAQSQKYSNDE of exemplary xylose LKAGESGSEGSQSVPIEIPKKPMSEYVTVSLLCLCVAFGGFMFG transporter from WDTGTISGFVVQTDFLRRFGMKHKDGTHYLSNVRTGLIVAIFN Saccharomyces IGCAFGGIILSKGGDMYGRKKGLSIVVSVYIVGIIIQIASINKWY cerevisiae; QYFIGRIISGLGVGGIAVLCPMLISEIAPKHLRGTLVSCYQLMIT Gxf2p/Gal2p AGIFLGYCTNYGTKSYSNSVQWRVPLGLCFAWSLFMIGALTL VPESPRYLCEVNKVEDAKRSIAKSNKVSPEDPAVQAELDLIMA GIEAEKLAGNASWGELFSTKTKVFQRLLMGVFVQMFQQLTGN NYFFYYGTVIFKSVGLDDSFETSIVIGVVNFASTFFSLWTVENL GHRKCLLLGAATMMACMVIYASVGVTRLYPHGKSQPSSKGA GNCMIVFTCFYIFCYATTWAPVAWVITAESFPLRVKSKCMAL ASASNWVWGFLIAFFTPFITSAINFYYGYVFMGCLVAMFFYVF FFVPETKGLSLEEIQELWEEGVLPWKSEGWIPSSRRGNNYDLE DLQHDDKPWYKAMLE 41. Nucleic acid sequence ATGGGTTACGAGGAAAAGCTTGTAGCGCCCGCGTTGAAATT of XYT1 from H0 CAAAAACTTTCTTGACAAAACCCCCAATATTCACAATGTCT Metschnikowia sp. ATGTCATTGCCGCCATCTCCTGTACATCAGGTATGATGTTTG GATTTGATATCTCGTCGATGTCTGTCTTTGTCGACCAGCAGC CATACTTGAAGATGTTTGACAACCCTAGTTCCGTGATTCAA GGTTTCATTACCGCGCTGATGAGTTTGGGCTCGTTTTTCGGC TCGCTCACATCCACGTTCATCTCTGAGCCTTTTGGTCGTCGT GCATCGTTGTTCATTTGTGGTATTCTTTGGGTAATTGGAGCA GCGGTTCAAAGTTCGTCGCAGAACAGGGCCCAATTGATTTG TGGGCGTATCATTGCAGGATGGGGCATTGGCTTTGGGTCAT CGGTGGCTCCTGTTTACGGGTCCGAGATGGCTCCGAGAAAG ATCAGAGGCACGATTGGTGGAATCTTCCAGTTCTCCGTCAC CGTGGGTATCTTTATCATGTTCTTGATTGGGTACGGATGCTC TTTCATTCAAGGAAAGGCCTCTTTCCGGATCCCCTGGGGTG TGCAAATGGTTCCCGGCCTTATCCTCTTGATTGGACTTTTCT TTATTCCTGAATCTCCCCGTTGGTTGGCCAAACAGGGCTACT GGGAAGACGCCGAAATCATTGTGGCCAATGTGCAGGCCAA GGGTAACCGTAACGACGCCAACGTGCAGATTGAAATGTCG GAGATTAAGGATCAATTGATGCTTGACGAGCACTTGAAGGA GTTTACGTACGCTGACCTTTTCACGAAGAAGTACCGCCAGC GCACGATCACGGCGATCTTTGCCCAGATCTGGCAACAGTTG ACCGGTATGAATGTGATGATGTACTACATTGTGTACATTTTC CAGATGGCAGGCTACAGCGGCAACACGAACTTGGTGCCCA GTTTGATCCAGTACATCATCAACATGGCGGTCACGGTGCCG GCGCTTTTCTGCTTGGATCTCTTGGGCCGTCGTACCATTTTG CTCGCGGGTGCCGCGTTCATGATGGCGTGGCAATTCGGCGT GGCGGGCATTTTGGCCACTTACTCAGAACCGGCATATATCT CTGACACTGTGCGTATCACGATCCCCGACGACCACAAGTCT GCTGCAAAAGGTGTGATTGCATGCTGCTATTTGTTTGTGTGC TCGTTTGCATTCTCGTGGGGTGTCGGTATTTGGGTGTACTGT TCCGAGGTTTGGGGTGACTCCCAGTCGAGACAAAGAGGCG CCGCTCTTGCGACGTCGGCCAACTGGATCTTCAACTTCGCC ATTGCCATGTTCACGCCGTCCTCATTCAAGAATATCACGTG GAAGACGTATATCATCTACGCCACGTTCTGTGCGTGCATGT TCATACACGTGTTTTTCTTTTTCCCAGAAACAAAGGGCAAG CGTTTGGAGGAGATAGGCCAGCTTTGGGACGAAGGAGTCC CAGCATGGAGGTCAGCCAAGTGGCAGCCAACAGTGCCGCT CGCGTCCGACGCAGAGCTTGCACACAAGATGGATGTTGCGC ACGCGGAGCACGCGGACTTATTGGCCACGCACTCGCCATCT TCAGACGAGAAGACGGGCACGGTCTAA 42. Nucleic acid sequence ATGTCTCAAGACGAACTTCATACAAAGTCTGGTGTTGAAAC of GXF1 from H0 ACCAATCAACGATTCGCTTCTCGAGGAGAAGCACGATGTCA Metschnikowia sp. CCCCACTCGCGGCATTGCCCGAGAAGTCCTTCAAGGACTAC ATTTCCATTTCCATTTTCTGTTTGTTTGTGGCATTTGGTGGTT TTGTTTTCGGTTTCGACACCGGTACGATTTCCGGTTTCGTCA ACATGTCCGACTTCAAGACCAGATTTGGTGAGATGAATGCC CAGGGCGAATACTACTTGTCCAATGTTAGAACTGGTTTGAT GGTTTCTATTTTCAACGTCGGTTGCGCCGTTGGTGGTATCTT CCTTTGTAAGATTGCCGATGTTTATGGCAGAAGAATTGGTC TTATGTTTTCCATGGTGGTTTATGTCGTTGGTATCATTATTC AGATTGCCTCCACCACCAAATGGTACCAATACTTCATTGGC CGTCTTATTGCTGGCTTGGCTGTGGGTACTGTTTCCGTCATC TCGCCACTTTTCATTTCCGAGGTTGCTCCTAAACAGCTCAGA GGTACGCTTGTGTGCTGCTTCCAGTTGTGTATCACCTTGGGT ATCTTTTTGGGTTACTGCACGACCTACGGTACAAAGACTTA CACTGACTCCAGACAGTGGAGAATCCCATTGGGTATCTGTT TCGCGTGGGCTTTGTTTTTGGTGGCCGGTATGTTGAACATGC CCGAGTCTCCTAGATACTTGGTTGAGAAATCGAGAATCGAC GATGCCAGAAAGTCCATTGCCAGATCCAACAAGGTTTCCGA GGAAGACCCCGCCGTGTACACCGAGGTGCAGCTTATCCAGG CTGGTATTGACAGAGAGGCCCTTGCCGGCAGCGCCACATGG ATGGAGCTTGTGACTGGTAAGCCCAAAATCTTCAGAAGAGT CATCATGGGTGTCATGCTTCAGTCCTTGCAACAATTGACTG GTGACAACTACTTTTTCTACTACGGAACCACGATTTTCAAG GCTGTTGGCTTGCAGGACTCTTTCCAGACGTCGATTATCTTG GGTATTGTCAACTTTGCCTCGACTTTTGTCGGTATTTACGCC ATTGAGAGAATGGGCAGAAGATTGTGTTTGTTGACCGGATC TGCGTGCATGTTTGTGTGTTTCATCATCTACTCGCTCATTGG TACGCAGCACTTGTACAAGAACGGCTTCTCTAACGAACCTT CCAACACATACAAGCCTTCCGGTAACGCCATGATCTTCATC ACGTGTCTTTACATTTTCTTCTTTGCCTCGACCTGGGCCGGT GGTGTTTACTGTATCGTGTCCGAGTCTTACCCATTGAGAATC AGATCCAAGGCCATGTCTGTCGCCACCGCCGCCAACTGGAT GTGGGGTTTCTTGATCTCGTTCTTCACGCCTTTCATCACCTC CGCCATCCACTTTTACTACGGTTTTGTTTTCACTGGCTGCTT GGCGTTCTCCTTCTTCTACGTCTACTTCTTTGTCGTGGAGAC CAAGGGTCTTTCCTTGGAGGAGGTTGACATTTTGTACGCTTC CGGTACGCTTCCATGGAAGTCCTCTGGCTGGGTGCCTCCTA CCGCGGACGAAATGGCCCACAACGCCTTCGACAACAAGCC AACTGACGAACAAGTCTAA 43. Nucleic acid sequence ATGTCCGACTTCAAGACCAGATTTGGTGAGATGAATGCCCA of ΔGXF1 (variant of GGGCGAATACTACTTGTCCAATGTTAGAACTGGTTTGATGG GXF1 with shorter N- TTTCTATTTTCAACGTCGGTTGCGCCGTTGGTGGTATCTTCC terminus) from H0 TTTGTAAGATTGCCGATGTTTATGGCAGAAGAATTGGTCTT Metschnikowia sp. ATGTTTTCCATGGTGGTTTATGTCGTTGGTATCATTATTCAG ATTGCCTCCACCACCAAATGGTACCAATACTTCATTGGCCG TCTTATTGCTGGCTTGGCTGTGGGTACTGTTTCCGTCATCTC GCCACTTTTCATTTCCGAGGTTGCTCCTAAACAGCTCAGAG GTACGCTTGTGTGCTGCTTCCAGTTGTGTATCACCTTGGGTA TCTTTTTGGGTTACTGCACGACCTACGGTACAAAGACTTAC ACTGACTCCAGACAGTGGAGAATCCCATTGGGTATCTGTTT CGCGTGGGCTTTGTTTTTGGTGGCCGGTATGTTGAACATGCC CGAGTCTCCTAGATACTTGGTTGAGAAATCGAGAATCGACG ATGCCAGAAAGTCCATTGCCAGATCCAACAAGGTTTCCGAG GAAGACCCCGCCGTGTACACCGAGGTGCAGCTTATCCAGGC TGGTATTGACAGAGAGGCCCTTGCCGGCAGCGCCACATGGA TGGAGCTTGTGACTGGTAAGCCCAAAATCTTCAGAAGAGTC ATCATGGGTGTCATGCTTCAGTCCTTGCAACAATTGACTGG TGACAACTACTTTTTCTACTACGGAACCACGATTTTCAAGG CTGTTGGCTTGCAGGACTCTTTCCAGACGTCGATTATCTTGG GTATTGTCAACTTTGCCTCGACTTTTGTCGGTATTTACGCCA TTGAGAGAATGGGCAGAAGATTGTGTTTGTTGACCGGATCT GCGTGCATGTTTGTGTGTTTCATCATCTACTCGCTCATTGGT ACGCAGCACTTGTACAAGAACGGCTTCTCTAACGAACCTTC CAACACATACAAGCCTTCCGGTAACGCCATGATCTTCATCA CGTGTCTTTACATTTTCTTCTTTGCCTCGACCTGGGCCGGTG GTGTTTACTGTATCGTGTCCGAGTCTTACCCATTGAGAATCA GATCCAAGGCCATGTCTGTCGCCACCGCCGCCAACTGGATG TGGGGTTTCTTGATCTCGTTCTTCACGCCTTTCATCACCTCC GCCATCCACTTTTACTACGGTTTTGTTTTCACTGGCTGCTTG GCGTTCTCCTTCTTCTACGTCTACTTCTTTGTCGTGGAGACC AAGGGTCTTTCCTTGGAGGAGGTTGACATTTTGTACGCTTCC GGTACGCTTCCATGGAAGTCCTCTGGCTGGGTGCCTCCTAC CGCGGACGAAATGGCCCACAACGCCTTCGACAACAAGCCA ACTGACGAACAAGTCTAA 44. Nucleic acid sequence ATGAGTGCCGAACAGGAACAACAAGTATCGGGCACATCTG of GXF2/GAL2 from CCACGATAGATGGGCTGGCGTCCTTGAAGCAAGAAAAAAC H0 Metschnikowia sp. CGCCGAGGAGGAAGACGCCTTCAAGCCTAAGCCCGCCACG GCGTACTTTTTCATTTCGTTCCTCTGTGGCTTGGTCGCCTTTG GCGGCTACGTTTTCGGTTTCGATACCGGTACGATTTCCGGGT TTGTTAACATGGACGACTATTTGATGAGATTCGGCCAGCAG CACGCTGATGGCACGTATTACCTTTCCAACGTGAGAACCGG TTTGATCGTGTCGATCTTCAACATTGGCTGTGCCGTTGGTGG TCTTGCGCTTTCGAAAGTCGGTGACATTTGGGGCAGAAGAA TTGGTATTATGGTTGCTATGATCATCTACATGGTGGGAATC ATCATCCAGATCGCTTCACAGGATAAATGGTACCAGTACTT CATTGGCCGTTTGATCACCGGATTGGGTGTCGGCACCACGT CCGTGCTTAGTCCTCTTTTCATCTCCGAGTCGGCTCCGAAGC ATTTGAGAGGCACCCTTGTGTGTTGTTTCCAGCTCATGGTCA CCTTGGGTATCTTTTTGGGCTACTGCACGACCTACGGTACCA AGAACTACACTGACTCGCGCCAGTGGCGGATTCCCTTGGGT CTTTGCTTCGCATGGGCTCTTTTGTTGATCTCGGGAATGGTT TTCATGCCTGAATCCCCACGTTTCTTGATTGAGCGCCAGAG ATTCGACGAGGCCAAGGCTTCCGTGGCCAAATCGAACCAG GTTTCGACCGAGGACCCCGCCGTGTACACTGAAGTCGAGTT GATCCAGGCCGGTATTGACCGTGAGGCATTGGCCGGATCCG CTGGCTGGAAAGAGCTTATCACGGGTAAGCCCAAGATGTTG CAGCGTGTGATTTTGGGAATGATGCTCCAGTCGATCCAGCA GCTTACCGGTAACAACTACTTTTTCTACTATGGTACCACGAT CTTCAAGGCCGTGGGCATGTCGGACTCGTTCCAGACCTCGA TTGTTTTGGGTATTGTCAACTTCGCCTCCACTTTTGTCGGAA TCTGGGCCATCGAACGCATGGGCCGCAGATCTTGTTTGCTT GTTGGTTCCGCGTGCATGAGTGTGTGTTTCTTGATCTACTCC ATCTTGGGTTCCGTCAACCTTTACATCGACGGCTACGAGAA CACGCCTTCCAACACGCGTAAGCCTACCGGTAACGCCATGA TTTTCATCACGTGTTTGTTCATCTTCTTCTTCGCCTCCACCTG GGCCGGTGGTGTGTACAGTATTGTGTCTGAAACATACCCAT TGAGAATCCGCTCTAAAGGTATGGCCGTGGCCACCGCTGCC AACTGGATGTGGGGTTTCTTGATTTCGTTCTTCACGCCTTTC ATCACCTCGGCCATCCACTTCTACTACGGGTTTGTGTTCACA GGGTGTCTTATTTTCTCCTTCTTCTACGTGTTCTTCTTTGTTA GGGAAACCAAGGGTCTCTCGTTGGAAGAGGTGGATGAGTT ATATGCCACTGACCTCCCACCATGGAAGACCGCGGGCTGGA CGCCTCCTTCTGCTGAGGATATGGCCCACACCACCGGGTTT GCCGAGGCCGCAAAGCCTACGAACAAACACGTTTAA 45. Nucleic acid sequence ATGGGCATTTTCGTTGGCGTTTTCGCCGCGCTTGGCGGTGTT of GXS1 from H0 CTCTTTGGCTACGATACCGGTACCATCTCTGGTGTGATGGCC Metschnikowia sp. ATGCCTTGGGTCAAGGAACATTTCCCAAAAGACCGTGTTGC ATTTAGTGCTTCCGAGTCGTCGTTGATTGTGTCTATTTTATC TGCAGGAACTTTCTTTGGAGCCATTCTTGCTCCGCTCTTGAC CGATACATTGGGTAGACGCTGGTGTATTATCATCTCTTCGCT CGTTGTGTTCAATTTGGGTGCTGCTTTGCAGACGGCTGCCAC GGATATCCCGCTCTTGATTGTTGGTCGTGTCATTGCCGGTTT AGGGGTTGGTTTGATTTCGCTGACGATTCCATTGTACCAGTC CGAAGCGCTTCCCAAATGGATTAGAGGTGCTGTTGTCTCGT GCTACCAATGGGCCATTACTATTGGTATCTTTTTGGCTGCCG TGATCAACCAGGGCACTCACAAGATCAACAGCCCTGCGTCG TACAGAATTCCATTGGGTATTCAGATGGCATGGGGTCTTAT CTTGGGTGTCGGCATGTTCTTCTTGCCCGAGACGCCTCGTTT CTACATTTCCAAGGGCCAGAATGCGAAGGCTGCTGTTTCAT TGGCGCGTTTGAGAAAGCTTCCGCAAGATCACCCGGAGTTG TTGGAGGAATTGGAAGATATCCAGGCGGCATACGAGTTTGA GACTGTCCATGGCAAGTCTTCATGGCTGCAGGTTTTCACCA ACAAGAACAAACAATTGAAGAAGTTGGCCACGGGCGTGTG CTTGCAGGCGTTCCAACAATTGACTGGTGTGAACTTCATTTT CTACTTTGGCACGACTTTCTTCAACAGTGTTGGGCTTGACGG ATTCACCACCTCCTTGGCCACCAACATTGTCAATGTTGGCTC GACGATCCCTGGTATTTTGGGTGTTGAGATTTTCGGCAGAA GAAAAGTGTTGTTGACCGGCGCTGCTGGTATGTGTCTTTCG CAATTCATTGTTGCCATTGTTGGTGTAGCCACCGACTCCAA GGCTGCGAACCAAGTTCTTATTGCCTTCTGCTGCATTTTCAT TGCGTTCTTTGCAGCCACCTGGGGCCCCACCGCATGGGTTG TTTGTGGCGAGATTTTCCCCTTGAGAACCAGAGCCAAGTCG ATTGCCATGTGCGCTGCTTCGAACTGGTTGTTGAACTGGGC AATTGCATACGCCACGCCATACTTGGTTGACTCCGATAAGG GTAACTTGGGCACCAATGTGTTTTTCATTTGGGGAAGCTGT AACTTCTTCTGCCTTGTGTTTGCCTACTTCATGATTTACGAG ACCAAGGGTCTTTCCTTGGAGCAGGTTGATGAGCTTTACGA GAAGGTTGCCAGCGCCAGAAAGTCGCCTGGCTTCGTGCCAA GCGAGCACGCTTTCAGAGAGCACGCCGATGTGGAGACCGC CATGCCAGACAACTTCAACTTGAAGGCGGAGGCGATTTCTG TCGAGGATGCCTCTGTTTAA 46. Nucleic acid sequence ATGAGCATCTTTGAAGGCAAAGACGGGAAGGGGGTATCCT of HGT12 from H0 CCACCGAGTCGCTTTCCAATGACGTCAGATATGACAACATG Metschnikowia sp. GAGAAAGTTGATCAGGATGTTCTTAGACACAACTTCAACTT TGACAAAGAATTCGAGGAGCTCGAAATCGAGGCGGCGCAA GTCAACGACAAACCTTCTTTTGTCGACAGGATTTTATCCCTC GAATACAAGCTTCATTTCGAAAACAAGAACCACATGGTGTG GCTCTTGGGCGCTTTCGCAGCCGCCGCAGGCTTATTGTCTG GCTTGGATCAGTCCATTATTTCTGGTGCATCCATTGGAATGA ACAAAGCATTGAACTTGACTGAACGTGAAGCCTCATTGGTG TCTTCGCTTATGCCTTTAGGCGCCATGGCAGGCTCCATGATT ATGACACCTCTTAATGAGTGGTTCGGAAGAAAATCATCGTT GATTATTTCTTGTATTTGGTATACCATCGGATCCGCTTTGTG CGCTGGCGCCAGAGATCACCACATGATGTACGCTGGCAGAT TTATTCTTGGTGTCGGTGTGGGTATAGAAGGTGGGTGTGTG GGCATTTACATTTCCGAGTCTGTCCCAGCCAATGTGCGTGG TAGTATCGTGTCGATGTACCAGTTCAATATTGCTTTGGGTGA AGTTCTAGGGTATGCTGTTGCTGCCATTTTCTACACTGTTCA TGGTGGATGGAGGTTCATGGTGGGGTCTTCTTTAGTATTCTC TACTATATTGTTTGCCGGATTGTTTTTCTTGCCCGAGTCACC TCGTTGGTTGGTGCACAAAGGCAGAAACGGAATGGCATAC GATGTGTGGAAGAGATTGAGAGACATAAACGATGAAAGCG CAAAGTTGGAATTTTTGGAGATGAGACAGGCTGCTTATCAA GAGAGAGAAAGACGCTCGCAAGAGTCTTTGTTCTCCAGCTG GGGCGAATTATTCACCATCGCTAGAAACAGAAGAGCACTTA CTTACTCTGTCATAATGATCACTTTGGGTCAATTGACTGGTG TCAATGCCGTCATGTACTACATGTCGACTTTGATGGGTGCA ATTGGTTTCAACGAGAAAGACTCTGTGTTCATGTCCCTTGTG GGAGGCGGTTCTTTGCTTATAGGTACCATTCCTGCCATTTTG TGGATGGACCGTTTCGGCAGAAGAGTTTGGGGTTATAATCT TGTTGGTTTCTTCGTTGGTTTGGTGCTCGTTGGTGTTGGCTA CCGTTTCAATCCCGTCACTCAAAAGGCGGCTTCAGAAGGTG TGTACTTGACGGGTCTCATTGTCTATTTCTTGTTCTTTGGTTC CTACTCGACCTTAACTTGGGTCATTCCATCCGAGTCTTTTGA TTTGAGAACAAGATCTTTGGGTATGACAATCTGTTCCACTTT CCTTTACTTGTGGTCTTTCACCGTCACCTACAACTTCACCAA GATGTCCGCCGCCTTCACATACACTGGGTTGACACTTGGTTT CTACGGTGGCATTGCGTTCCTTGGTTTGATTTACCAGGTCTG CTTCATGCCCGAGACGAAGGACAAGACTTTGGAAGAAATT GACGATATCTTCAATCGTTCTGCGTTCTCTATCGCGCGCGAG AACATCTCCAACTTGAAGAAGGGTATTTGGTAA 47. Nucleic acid sequence ATGAGCATCTTTGAAGGCAAAGACGGGAAGGGGGTATCCT of HXT5 from H0 CCACCGAGTCGCTTTCCAATGACGTCAGATATGACAACATG Metschnikowia sp. GAGAAAGTTGATCAGGATGTTCTTAGACACAACTTCAACTT TGACAAAGAATTCGAGGAGCTCGAAATCGAGGCGGCGCAA GTCAACGACAAACCTTCTTTTGTCGACAGGATTTTATCCCTC GAATACAAGCTTCATTTCGAAAACAAGAACCACATGGTGTG GCTCTTGGGCGCTTTCGCAGCCGCCGCAGGCTTATTGTCTG GCTTGGATCAGTCCATTATTTCTGGTGCATCCATTGGAATGA ACAAAGCATTGAACTTGACTGAACGTGAAGCCTCATTGGTG TCTTCGCTTATGCCTTTAGGCGCCATGGCAGGCTCCATGATT ATGACACCTCTTAATGAGTGGTTCGGAAGAAAATCATCGTT GATTATTTCTTGTATTTGGTATACCATCGGATCCGCTTTGTG CGCTGGCGCCAGAGATCACCACATGATGTACGCTGGCAGAT TTATTCTTGGTGTCGGTGTGGGTATAGAAGGTGGGTGTGTG GGCATTTACATTTCCGAGTCTGTCCCAGCCAATGTGCGTGG TAGTATCGTGTCGATGTACCAGTTCAATATTGCTTTGGGTGA AGTTCTAGGGTATGCTGTTGCTGCCATTTTCTACACTGTTCA TGGTGGATGGAGGTTCATGGTGGGGTCTTCTTTAGTATTCTC TACTATATTGTTTGCCGGATTGTTTTTCTTGCCCGAGTCACC TCGTTGGTTGGTGCACAAAGGCAGAAACGGAATGGCATAC GATGTGTGGAAGAGATTGAGAGACATAAACGATGAAAGCG CAAAGTTGGAATTTTTGGAGATGAGACAGGCTGCTTATCAA GAGAGAGAAAGACGCTCGCAAGAGTCTTTGTTCTCCAGCTG GGGCGAATTATTCACCATCGCTAGAAACAGAAGAGCACTTA CTTACTCTGTCATAATGATCACTTTGGGTCAATTGACTGGTG TCAATGCCGTCATGTACTACATGTCGACTTTGATGGGTGCA ATTGGTTTCAACGAGAAAGACTCTGTGTTCATGTCCCTTGTG GGAGGCGGTTCTTTGCTTATAGGTACCATTCCTGCCATTTTG TGGATGGACCGTTTCGGCAGAAGAGTTTGGGGTTATAATCT TGTTGGTTTCTTCGTTGGTTTGGTGCTCGTTGGTGTTGGCTA CCGTTTCAATCCCGTCACTCAAAAGGCGGCTTCAGAAGGTG TGTACTTGACGGGTCTCATTGTCTATTTCTTGTTCTTTGGTTC CTACTCGACCTTAACTTGGGTCATTCCATCCGAGTCTTTTGA TTTGAGAACAAGATCTTTGGGTATGACAATCTGTTCCACTTT CCTTTACTTGTGGTCTTTCACCGTCACCTACAACTTCACCAA GATGTCCGCCGCCTTCACATACACTGGGTTGACACTTGGTTT CTACGGTGGCATTGCGTTCCTTGGTTTGATTTACCAGGTCTG CTTCATGCCCGAGACGAAGGACAAGACTTTGGAAGAAATT GACGATATCTTCAATCGTTCTGCGTTCTCTATCGCGCGCGAG AACATCTCCAACTTGAAGAAGGGTATTTGGTAA 48. Nucleic acid sequence ATGCTGAGCACTACCGATACCCTCGAAAAAAGGGACACCG of HXT2.6 from H0 AGCCTTTCACTTCAGATGCTCCTGTCACAGTCCATGACTATA Metschnikowia sp. TCGCAGAGGAGCGTCCGTGGTGGAAAGTGCCGCATTTGCGT GTATTGACTTGGTCTGTTTTCGTGATCACCCTCACCTCCACC AACAACGGGTATGATGGCCTGATGTTGAATGGATTGCAATC CTTGGACATTTGGCAGGAGGATTTGGGTCACCCTGCGGGCC AGAAATTGGGTGCCTTGGCCAACGGTGTTTTGTTTGGTAAC CTTGCTGCTGTGCCTTTTGCTTCGTATTTCTGCGATCGTTTTG GTAGAAGGCCGGTCATTTGTTTCGGACAGATCTTGACAATT GTTGGTGCTGTATTACAAGGTTTGTCCAACAGCTATGGATTT TTTTTGGGTTCGAGAATTGTGTTGGGTTTTGGTGCTATGATA GCCACTATTCCGCTGCCAACATTGATTTCCGAAATCGCCTA CCCTACGCATAGAGAAACTTCCACTTTCGCCTACAACGTGT GCTGGTATTTGGGAGCCATTATCGCCTCCTGGGTCACATAC GGCACCAGAGATTTACAGAGCAAGGCTTGCTGGTCAATTCC TTCTTATCTCCAGGCCGCCTTACCTTTCTTTCAAGTGTGCAT GATTTGGTTTGTGCCAGAGTCTCCCAGATTCCTCGTTGCCAA GGGCAAGATCGACCAAGCAAGGGCTGTTTTGTCTAAATACC ATACAGGAGACTCGACTGACCCCAGAGACGTTGCGTTGGTT GACTTTGAGCTCCATGAGATTGAGAGTGCATTGGAGCAGGA AAAATTGAACACTCGCTCGTCATACTTTGACTTTTTCAAGA AGAGAAACTTTAGAAAGAGAGGCTTCTTGTGTGTCATGGTC GGTGTTGCAATGCAGCTTTCTGGAAACGGCTTAGTGTCCTA TTACTTGTCGAAAGTGCTAGACTCGATTGGAATCACTGAAA CCAAGAGACAGCTCGAGATCAATGGCTGCTTGATGATCTAT AACTTTGTCATCTGCGTCTCGTTGATGAGTGTTTGCCGTATG TTCAAAAGAAGAGTATTATTTCTCACGTGTTTCTCAGGAAT GACGGTTTGCTACACGATATGGACGATTTTGTCAGCGCTTA ATGAACAGAGACACTTTGAGGATAAAGGCTTGGCCAATGG CGTGTTGGCAATGATCTTCTTCTACTATTTTTTCTACAACGT TGGCATCAATGGATTGCCATTCCTATACATCACCGAGATCT TGCCTTACTCACACAGAGCAAAAGGCTTGAATTTATTCCAA TTCTCGCAATTTCTCACGCAAATCTACAATGGCTATGTGAA CCCAATCGCCATGGACGCAATCAGCTGGAAGTATTACATTG TGTACTGCTGTATTCTCTTCGTGGAGTTGGTGATTGTGTTTT TCACGTTCCCAGAAACTTCGGGATACACTTTGGAGGAGGTC GCCCAGGTATTTGGTGATGAGGCTCCCGGGCTCCACAACAG ACAATTGGATGTTGCGAAAGAATCACTCGAGCATGTTGAGC ATGTTTGA 49. Nucleic acid sequence ATGGGCTTTCGCAACTTAAAGCGCAGGCTCTCAAATGTTGG of QUP2 from H0 CGACTCCATGTCAGTGCACTCTGTGAAAGAGGAGGAAGACT Metschnikowia sp. TCTCCCGCGTGGAAATCCCGGATGAAATCTACAACTATAAG ATCGTCCTTGTGGCTTTAACAGCGGCGTCGGCTGCCATCAT CATCGGCTACGATGCAGGCTTCATTGGTGGCACGGTTTCGT TGACGGCGTTCAAACTGGAATTTGGCTTGGACAAAATGTCT GCGACGGCGGCTTCTGCTATCGAAGCCAACGTTGTTTCCGT GTTCCAGGCCGGCGCCTACTTTGGGTGTCTTTTCTTCTATCC GATTGGCGAGATTTGGGGCCGTAAAATCGGTCTTCTTCTTTC CGGCTTTCTTTTGACGTTTGGTGCTGCTATTTCTTTGATTTCG AACTCGTCTCGTGGCCTTGGTGCCATATATGCTGGAAGAGT ACTAACAGGTTTGGGGATTGGCGGATGTCTGAGTTTGGCCC CAATCTACGTTTCTGAAATCGCGCCTGCAGCAATCAGAGGC AAGCTTGTGGGCTGCTGGGAAGTGTCATGGCAGGTGGGCG GCATTGTTGGCTACTGGATCAATTACGGAGTCTTGCAGACT CTTCCGATTAGCTCACAACAATGGATCATCCCGTTTGCTGTA CAATTGATCCCATCGGGGCTTTTCTGGGGCCTTTGTCTTTTG ATTCCAGAGCTGCCACGTTTTCTTGTATCGAAGGGAAAGAT CGATAAGGCGCGCAAAAACTTAGCGTACTTGCGTGGACTTA GCGAGGACCACCCCTATTCTGTTTTTGAGTTGGAGAACATT AGTAAGGCCATTGAAGAGAACTTCGAGCAAACAGGAAGGG GTTTTTTCGACCCATTGAAAGCTTTGTTTTTCAGCAAAAAAA TGCTTTACCGCCTTCTCTTGTCCACGTCAATGTTCATGATGC AGAATGGCTATGGAATCAATGCTGTGACATACTACTCGCCC ACGATCTTCAAATCCTTAGGCGTTCAGGGCTCAAACGCCGG TTTGCTCTCAACAGGAATTTTCGGTCTTCTTAAAGGTGCCGC TTCGGTGTTCTGGGTCTTTTTCTTGGTTGACACATTCGGCCG CCGGTTTTGTCTTTGCTACCTCTCTCTCCCCTGCTCGATCTGC ATGTGGTATATTGGCGCATACATCAAGATTGCCAACCCTTC AGCGAAGCTTGCTGCAGGAGACACAGCCACCACCCCAGCA GGAACTGCAGCGAAAGCGATGCTTTACATATGGACGATTTT CTACGGCATTACGTGGAATGGTACGACCTGGGTGATCTGCG CGGAGATTTTCCCCCAGTCGGTGAGAACAGCCGCGCAGGCC GTCAACGCTTCTTCTAATTGGTTCTGGGCTTTCATGATCGGC CACTTCACTGGCCAGGCGCTCGAGAATATTGGGTACGGATA CTACTTCTTGTTTGCGGCGTGCTCTGCAATCTTCCCTGTGGT AGTCTGGTTTGTGTACCCCGAAACAAAGGGTGTGCCTTTGG AGGCCGTGGAGTATTTGTTCGAGGTGCGTCCTTGGAAAGCG CACTCATATGCTTTGGAGAAGTACCAGATTGAGTACAACGA GGGTGAATTCCACCAACATAAGCCCGAAGTACTCTTACAAG GGTCTGAAAACTCGGACACGAGCGAGAAAAGCCTCGCCTG A 50. Nucleic acid sequence ATGTCAGAAAAGCCTGTTGTGTCGCACAGCATCGACACGAC of APS1/HGT19 from GCTGTCTACGTCATCGAAACAAGTCTATGACGGTAACTCGC H0 Metschnikowia sp. TTCTTAAGACCCTGAATGAGCGCGATGGCGAACGCGGCAAT ATCTTGTCGCAGTACACTGAGGAACAGGCCATGCAAATGGG CCGCAACTATGCGTTGAAGCACAATTTAGATGCGACACTCT TTGGAAAGGCGGCCGCGGTCGCAAGAAACCCATACGAGTT CAATTCGATGAGTTTTTTGACCGAAGAGGAAAAAGTCGCGC TTAACACGGAGCAGACCAAGAAATGGCACATCCCAAGAAA GTTGGTGGAGGTGATTGCATTGGGGTCCATGGCCGCTGCGG TGCAGGGTATGGATGAGTCGGTGGTGAATGGTGCAACGCTT TTCTACCCCACGGCAATGGGTATCACAGATATCAAGAATGC CGATTTGATTGAAGGTTTGATCAACGGTGCGCCCTATCTTTG CTGCGCCATCATGTGCTGGACATCTGATTACTGGAACAGGA AGTTGGGCCGTAAGTGGACCATTTTCTGGACATGTGCCATT TCTGCAATCACATGTATCTGGCAAGGTCTCGTCAATTTGAA ATGGTACCATTTGTTCATTGCGCGTTTCTGCTTGGGTTTCGG TATCGGTGTCAAGTCTGCCACCGTGCCTGCGTATGCTGCCG AAACCACCCCGGCCAAAATCAGAGGCTCGTTGGTCATGCTT TGGCAGTTCTTCACCGCTGTCGGAATCATGCTTGGTTACGTG GCGTCTTTGGCATTCTATTACATTGGTGACAATGGCATTTCT GGCGGCTTGAACTGGAGATTGATGCTAGGATCTGCATGTCT TCCAGCTATCGTTGTGTTAGTCCAAGTTCCGTTTGTTCCAGA ATCCCCTCGTTGGCTCATGGGTAAGGAAAGACACGCTGAAG CATATGATTCGCTCCGGCAATTGCGGTTCAGTGAAATCGAG GCGGCCCGTGACTGTTTCTACCAGTACGTGTTGTTGAAAGA GGAGGGCTCTTATGGAACGCAGCCATTCTTCAGCAGAATCA AGGAGATGTTCACCGTGAGAAGAAACAGAAATGGTGCATT GGGCGCGTGGATCGTCATGTTCATGCAGCAGTTCTGTGGAA TCAACGTCATTGCTTACTACTCGTCGTCGATCTTCGTGGAGT CGAATCTTTCTGAGATCAAGGCCATGTTGGCGTCTTGGGGG TTCGGTATGATCAATTTCTTGTTTGCAATTCCAGCGTTCTAC ACCATTGACACGTTTGGCCGACGCAACTTGTTGCTCACTAC TTTCCCTCTTATGGCGGTATTCTTACTCATGGCCGGATTCGG GTTCTGGATCCCGTTCGAGACAAACCCACACGGCCGTTTGG CGGTGATCACTATTGGTATCTATTTGTTTGCATGTGTCTACT CTGCGGGCGAGGGACCAGTTCCCTTCACATACTCTGCCGAA GCATTCCCGTTGTATATCCGTGACTTGGGTATGGGCTTTGCC ACGGCCACGTGTTGGTTCTTCAACTTCATTTTGGCATTTTCC TGGCCTAGAATGAAGAATGCATTCAAGCCTCAAGGTGCCTT TGGCTGGTATGCCGCCTGGAACATTGTTGGCTTCTTCTTAGT GTTATGGTTCTTGCCCGAGACAAAGGGCTTGACGTTGGAGG AATTGGACGAAGTGTTTGATGTGCCTTTGAGAAAACACGCG CACTACCGTACCAAAGAATTAGTATACAACTTGCGCAAATA CTTCTTGAGGCAGAACCCTAAGCCATTGCCGCCACTTTATG CACACCAAAGAATGGCTGTTACCAACCCAGAATGGTTGGA AAAGACCGAGGTCACGCACGAGGAGAATATCTAG 51. Nucleic acid sequence ATGGCTTACGAGGACAAACTAGTGGCTCCGGCCTTGAAGTT of exemplary xylose TAGAAACTTTCTTGACAAAACTCCCAATATCTACAATCCAT transporter from ATATCATTTCTATAATCTCGTGCATTGCGGGTATGATGTTCG Pichia gulliermondii; GTTTTGATATTTCTTCAATGTCAGCGTTTGTCAGTTTACCAG AXT1 CATACGTGAATTATTTCGATACACCTTCAGCAGTGATTCAA GGATTTATCACATCTGCCATGGCTTTGGGTTCATTTTTCGGG TCAATTGCTTCTGCGTTTGTGTCTGAGCCATTTGGAAGACGA GCTTCCTTACTAACTTGTTCGTGGTTTTGGATGATAGGAGCA GCCATCCAAGCGTCTTCGCAGAACCGAGCTCAATTGATTAT TGGTCGGATTATATCTGGATTTGGGGTTGGTTTCGGGTCGTC TGTGGCTCCCGTATATGGCTCCGAGATGGCACCTAGAAAAA TTAGAGGAAGAATTGGTGGAATTTTTCAATTATCTGTCACC CTCGGTATCATGATTATGTTCTTCATAAGTTACGGAACTTCT CATATTAAGACTGCGGCAGCTTTCAGGTTAGCCTGGGCACT CCAGATCATTCCTGGACTCCTCATGTGTATTGGTGTCTTCTT TATTCCAGAATCTCCTAGATGGTTGGCCAAACAAGGTCACT GGGACGAAGCCGAAATCATTGTAGCCAAAATTCAAGCCAA AGGAGATCGAGAAAATCCCGATGTTTTGATTGAAATTTCGG AAATAAAAGACCAATTGATGGTTGACGAGAATGCCAAAGC CTTTACCTATGCTGACTTGTTTTCGAAAAAATATCTTCCCAG AACCATCACAGCCATGTTCGCTCAAATCTGGCAACAATTGA CAGGAATGAATGTCATGATGTACTATATCGTTTACATTTTCG AAATGGCTGGCTACGGTGGAAATGGAGTGTTGGTATCATCG ACAATTCAGTACGTTATCTTTGTCGTTGTTACATTTGTCTCA TTATTCTTTTTGGACAAATTTGGAAGAAGAAAAATTTTACTT GTCGGAGCAGCTTCCATGATGACCTGGCAGTTTGCAGTGGC AGGGATCTTGGCCAGGTACTCGGTCCCGTACGATCTCAGCG ATACTGTCAAAATTAAAATTCCTGACAATCACAAATCGGCT GCAAAAGGTGTCATTGCATGCTGCTATCTTTTCGTAGCATC GTTCGGATTTTCCTGGGGAGTTGGTATCTGGTTATACTGCTC TGAAGTCTGGGGAGACTCACAATCGAGACAGAGAGGAGCC GCTGTGTCAACTGCTTCAAATTGGATTTTCAATTTTGCGCTC GCCATGTTCACACCATCTTCGTTTAAAAATATCACCTGGAA GACATACTGTATTTATGCCACTTTCTGCGCATGTATGTTCAT CCATGTGTTCTTCTTCTTCCCAGAAACCAAGGGGAAGCGCT TGGAAGAAATTGCTCAAATTTGGGAAGAAAAAATTCCAGCT TGGAAAACCACCAACTGGCAACCTCATGTTCCTTTGTTGTC GGACCACGAACTTGCGGAAAAGATCAATGCCGAACATGTG GAGAACGTGAATTCTAGGGAACAATCGGATGACGAGAAGT CGCAGGTATAA 52. Nucleic acid sequence ATGTCACAAGATTCGCATTCTTCTGGTGCCGCTACACCAGT of exemplary xylose CAATGGTTCCATCCTTGAAAAGGAAAAAGAAGACTCTCCAG transporter from TTCTTCAAGTTGATGCCCCACAAAAGGGTTTCAAGGACTAC Candida intermedia ATTGTCATTTCTATCTTCTGTTTTATGGTTGCCTTCGGTGGTT PYCC 4715; GXF1 TCGTCTTCGGTTTCGACACTGGTACCATTTCCGGTTTCGTGA ACATGTCTGACTTTAAAGACAGATTCGGTCAACACCACGCT GATGGTACTCCTTACTTGTCCGACGTTAGAGTTGGTTTGATG ATTTCTATTTTCAACGTTGGTTGCGCTGTCGGTGGTATTTTC CTCTGCAAGGTCGCTGATGTCTGGGGTAGAAGAATTGGTCT TATGTTCTCCATGGCTGTCTACGTTGTTGGTATTATTATTCA GATCTCTTCATCCACCAAGTGGTACCAGTTCTTCATTGGTCG TCTTATTGCTGGTTTGGCTGTTGGTACCGTTTCTGTCGTTTCC CCACTTTTCATCTCTGAGGTTTCTCCAAAGCAAATTAGAGGT ACTTTAGTGTGCTGCTTCCAGTTGTGTATCACCTTGGGTATC TTCTTGGGTTACTGTACTACTTACGGTACTAAGACCTACACT GACTCTAGACAGTGGAGAATTCCTTTGGGTTTGTGTTTCGCT TGGGCTATCTTGTTGGTTGTCGGTATGTTGAACATGCCAGA GTCTCCAAGATACTTGGTTGAGAAGCACAGAATTGATGAGG CCAAGAGATCCATTGCCAGATCCAACAAGATCCCTGAGGA GGACCCATTCGTCTACACTGAGGTTCAGCTTATTCAGGCCG GTATTGAGAGAGAAGCTTTGGCTGGTCAGGCATCTTGGAAG GAGTTGATCACTGGTAAGCCAAAGATCTTCAGAAGAGTTAT CATGGGTATTATGCTTCAGTCCTTGCAACAGTTGACCGGTG ACAACTACTTCTTCTACTACGGTACTACCATTTTCCAGGCTG TCGGTTTGAAGGATTCTTTCCAGACTTCTATCATTTTGGGTA TTGTCAACTTTGCTTCCACCTTCGTTGGTATCTATGTCATTG AGAGATTGGGTAGAAGATTGTGTCTTTTGACCGGTTCCGCT GCTATGTTCATCTGTTTCATCATCTACTCTTTGATTGGTACT CAGCACTTGTACAAGCAAGGTTACTCCAACGAGACCTCCAA CACTTACAAGGCTTCTGGTAACGCTATGATCTTCATCACTTG TCTTTACATTTTCTTCTTTGCTTCTACCTGGGCTGGTGGTGTT TACTGTATCATTTCCGAGTCCTACCCATTGAGAATTAGATCC AAGGCCATGTCTATTGCTACCGCTGCTAACTGGTTGTGGGG TTTCTTGATTTCCTTCTTCACTCCATTCATCACCAGTGCCATC CACTTCTACTACGGTTTCGTTTTCACTGGTTGTTTGGCTTTCT CTTTCTTCTACGTCTACTTCTTCGTCTACGAAACCAAGGGTC TTTCTTTGGAGGAGGTTGATGAGATGTACGCTTCCGGTGTTC TTCCACTCAAGTCTGCCAGCTGGGTTCCACCAAATCTTGAG CACATGGCTCACTCTGCCGGTTACGCTGGTGCTGACAAGGC CACCGACGAACAGGTTTAA 53. Nucleic acid sequence ATGTCACAAGATTCGCATTCTTCTGGTGCCGCTACACCAGT of exemplary CAATGGTTCCATCCTTGAAAAGGAAAAAGAAGACTCTCCAG glucose/xylose TTCTTCAAGTTGATGCCCCACAAAAGGGTTTCAAGGACTAC symporter from ATTGTCATTTCTATCTTCTGTTTTATGGTTGCCTTCGGTGGTT Candida intermedia; TCGTCTTCGGTTTCGACACTGGTACCATTTCCGGTTTCGTGA GXS1 ACATGTCTGACTTTAAAGACAGATTCGGTCAACACCACGCT GATGGTACTCCTTACTTGTCCGACGTTAGAGTTGGTTTGATG ATTTCTATTTTCAACGTTGGTTGCGCTGTCGGTGGTATTTTC CTCTGCAAGGTCGCTGATGTCTGGGGTAGAAGAATTGGTCT TATGTTCTCCATGGCTGTCTACGTTGTTGGTATTATTATTCA GATCTCTTCATCCACCAAGTGGTACCAGTTCTTCATTGGTCG TCTTATTGCTGGTTTGGCTGTTGGTACCGTTTCTGTCGTTTCC CCACTTTTCATCTCTGAGGTTTCTCCAAAGCAAATTAGAGGT ACTTTAGTGTGCTGCTTCCAGTTGTGTATCACCTTGGGTATC TTCTTGGGTTACTGTACTACTTACGGTACTAAGACCTACACT GACTCTAGACAGTGGAGAATTCCTTTGGGTTTGTGTTTCGCT TGGGCTATCTTGTTGGTTGTCGGTATGTTGAACATGCCAGA GTCTCCAAGATACTTGGTTGAGAAGCACAGAATTGATGAGG CCAAGAGATCCATTGCCAGATCCAACAAGATCCCTGAGGA GGACCCATTCGTCTACACTGAGGTTCAGCTTATTCAGGCCG GTATTGAGAGAGAAGCTTTGGCTGGTCAGGCATCTTGGAAG GAGTTGATCACTGGTAAGCCAAAGATCTTCAGAAGAGTTAT CATGGGTATTATGCTTCAGTCCTTGCAACAGTTGACCGGTG ACAACTACTTCTTCTACTACGGTACTACCATTTTCCAGGCTG TCGGTTTGAAGGATTCTTTCCAGACTTCTATCATTTTGGGTA TTGTCAACTTTGCTTCCACCTTCGTTGGTATCTATGTCATTG AGAGATTGGGTAGAAGATTGTGTCTTTTGACCGGTTCCGCT GCTATGTTCATCTGTTTCATCATCTACTCTTTGATTGGTACT CAGCACTTGTACAAGCAAGGTTACTCCAACGAGACCTCCAA CACTTACAAGGCTTCTGGTAACGCTATGATCTTCATCACTTG TCTTTACATTTTCTTCTTTGCTTCTACCTGGGCTGGTGGTGTT TACTGTATCATTTCCGAGTCCTACCCATTGAGAATTAGATCC AAGGCCATGTCTATTGCTACCGCTGCTAACTGGTTGTGGGG TTTCTTGATTTCCTTCTTCACTCCATTCATCACCAGTGCCATC CACTTCTACTACGGTTTCGTTTTCACTGGTTGTTTGGCTTTCT CTTTCTTCTACGTCTACTTCTTCGTCTACGAAACCAAGGGTC TTTCTTTGGAGGAGGTTGATGAGATGTACGCTTCCGGTGTTC TTCCACTCAAGTCTGCCAGCTGGGTTCCACCAAATCTTGAG CACATGGCTCACTCTGCCGGTTACGCTGGTGCTGACAAGGC CACCGACGAACAGGTTTAA 54. Nucleic acid sequence ATGGCAGTTGAGGAGAACAATATGCCTGTTGTTTCACAGCA of exemplaiy xylose ACCCCAAGCTGGTGAAGACGTGATCTCTTCACTCAGTAAAG transporter from ATTCCCATTTAAGCGCACAATCTCAAAAGTATTCTAATGAT Saccharomyces GAATTGAAAGCCGGTGAGTCAGGGTCTGAAGGCTCCCAAA cerevisiae; GTGTTCCTATAGAGATACCCAAGAAGCCCATGTCTGAATAT GAL2/GXF2 GTTACCGTTTCCTTGCTTTGTTTGTGTGTTGCCTTCGGCGGC TTCATGTTTGGCTGGGATACCGGTACTATTTCTGGGTTTGTT GTCCAAACAGACTTTTTGAGAAGGTTTGGTATGAAACATAA GGATGGTACCCACTATTTGTCAAACGTCAGAACAGGTTTAA TCGTCGCCATTTTCAATATTGGCTGTGCCTTTGGTGGTATTA TACTTTCCAAAGGTGGAGATATGTATGGCCGTAAAAAGGGT CTTTCGATTGTCGTCTCGGTTTATATAGTTGGTATTATCATT CAAATTGCCTCTATCAACAAGTGGTACCAATATTTCATTGG TAGAATCATATCTGGTTTGGGTGTCGGCGGCATCGCCGTCT TATGTCCTATGTTGATCTCTGAAATTGCTCCAAAGCACTTGA GAGGCACACTAGTTTCTTGTTATCAGCTGATGATTACTGCA GGTATCTTTTTGGGCTACTGTACTAATTACGGTACAAAGAG CTATTCGAACTCAGTTCAATGGAGAGTTCCATTAGGGCTAT GTTTCGCTTGGTCATTATTTATGATTGGCGCTTTGACGTTAG TTCCTGAATCCCCACGTTATTTATGTGAGGTGAATAAGGTA GAAGACGCCAAGCGTTCCATTGCTAAGTCTAACAAGGTGTC ACCAGAGGATCCTGCCGTCCAGGCAGAGTTAGATCTGATCA TGGCCGGTATAGAAGCTGAAAAACTGGCTGGCAATGCGTCC TGGGGGGAATTATTTTCCACCAAGACCAAAGTATTTCAACG TTTGTTGATGGGTGTGTTTGTTCAAATGTTCCAACAATTAAC CGGTAACAATTATTTTTTCTACTACGGTACCGTTATTTTCAA GTCAGTTGGCCTGGATGATTCCTTTGAAACATCCATTGTCAT TGGTGTAGTCAACTTTGCCTCCACTTTCTTTAGTTTGTGGAC TGTCGAAAACTTGGGACATCGTAAATGTTTACTTTTGGGCG CTGCCACTATGATGGCTTGTATGGTCATCTACGCCTCTGTTG GTGTTACTAGATTATATCCTCACGGTAAAAGCCAGCCATCT TCTAAAGGTGCCGGTAACTGTATGATTGTCTTTACCTGTTTT TATATTTTCTGTTATGCCACAACCTGGGCGCCAGTTGCCTGG GTCATCACAGCAGAATCATTCCCACTGAGAGTCAAGTCGAA ATGTATGGCGTTGGCCTCTGCTTCCAATTGGGTATGGGGGT TCTTGATTGCATTTTTCACCCCATTCATCACATCTGCCATTA ACTTCTACTACGGTTATGTCTTCATGGGCTGTTTGGTTGCCA TGTTTTTTTATGTCTTTTTCTTTGTTCCAGAAACTAAAGGCCT ATCGTTAGAAGAAATTCAAGAATTATGGGAAGAAGGTGTTT TACCTTGGAAATCTGAAGGCTGGATTCCTTCATCCAGAAGA GGTAATAATTACGATTTAGAGGATTTACAACATGACGACAA ACCGTGGTACAAGGCCATGCTAGAATAA

Provided herein are novel isolated Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway. Such Metschnikowia species can produce xylitol from xylose when cultured in medium having xylose. In some embodiments, a xylitol pathway described herein includes a xylose reductase, which converts xylose to xylitol. Additionally, in some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species includes a genetic modification to a xylitol dehydrogenase, which would normally convert xylitol to xylulose. Accordingly, in some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase or, alternatively or additionally, at least one exogenous nucleic acid that results in overexpression of a xylose reductase of the isolated Metschnikowia species. In some embodiments, also provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having a genetic modification that attenuates or inactivates a xylitol dehydrogenase of the isolated Metschnikowia species. In some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having: (a) at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase or that results in overexpression of a xylose reductase of the isolated Metschnikowia species; and (b) a genetic modification that attenuates or inactivates a xylitol dehydrogenase of the isolated Metschnikowia species.

The isolated Metschnikowia species provided here can produce xylitol from xylose at a specific rate. For example, in some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 0.50 g/L/h, at least 0.60 g/L/h, at least 0.70 g/L/h, at least 0.80 g/L/h, at least 0.90 g/L/h, at least 1.00 g/L/h, at least 1.50 g/L/h, at least 2.00 g/L/h, at least 2.50 g/L/h, at least 3.00 g/L/h, at least 3.50 g/L/h, at least 4.00 g/L/h, at least 5.00 g/L/h, at least 6.00 g/L/h, at least 7.00 g/L/h, at least 8.00 g/L/h, at least 9.00 g/L/h, or at least 10.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 0.50 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least at least 0.60 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 0.70 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 0.80 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least at least 0.90 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 1.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 1.50 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 2.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 2.50 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 3.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 3.50 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 4.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 5.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 6.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 7.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 8.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 9.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 10.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured.

The isolated Metschnikowia species provided here can produce xylitol from xylose at a specific concentration. For example, in some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 75 g/L, at least 80 g/L, at least 85 g/L, at least 90 g/L, at least 95 g/L, at least 100 g/L, at least 110 g/L, at least 120 g/L, at least 130 g/L, at least 140 g/L, at least 150 g/L, at least 160 g/L, at least 170 g/L, at least 180 g/L, at least 190 g/L, at least 200 g/L, at least 250 g/L, or at least 300 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. According, in some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 75 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 80 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 90 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 95 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 100 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 110 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 120 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 130 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 140 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 150 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 160 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 170 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 180 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 190 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 200 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 250 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein produces at least 300 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured.

The xylitol pathway described herein can be introduced into any Metschnikowia species known in the art. Exemplary, non-limiting, Metschnikowia species that can have the xylitol pathway described herein include Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Metschnikowia fructicola, Metschnikowia chrysoperlae, Metschnikowia reukaufii, Metschnikowia andauensis, Metschnikowia shanxiensis, Metschnikowia sinensis, Metschnikowia zizyphicola, Metschnikowia bicuspidata, Metschnikowia lunata, Metschnikowia zobellii, Metschnikowia australis, Metschnikowia agaveae, Metschnikowia gruessii, Metschnikowia hawaiiensis, Metschnikowia krissii, Metschnikowia sp. strain NS-O-85, and Metschnikowia sp. strain NS-O-89. In a particular embodiment, the xylitol pathway described herein can be introduced into the Metschnikowia species designated Accession No. 081116-01, deposited at the International Depositary Authority of Canada, an International Depositary Authority, on Nov. 8, 2016, under the terms of the Budapest Treaty.

As can be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, because the Metschnikowia species provided herein can be any Metschnikowia species known in the art, the exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase described herein is, in some embodiments, a heterologous nucleic acid as compared to the host Metschnikowia species to which the exogenous nucleic acid was introduced. In other words, in some embodiments, at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase is a heterologous nucleic acid.

In some embodiments, the exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase or the xylose reductase that is overexpressed by the introduction of the exogenous nucleic acid is one of the exemplary xylose reductases described herein. For example, in some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence selected from any one of SEQ ID NOS: 11-18. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18.

In some embodiments, the xylose reductase introduced into the isolated Metschnikowia species described herein is a variant of a xylose reductase described herein. Such a variant still retains the functional activity of the xylose reductase. For example, in some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOS: 11-18, wherein the amino acid sequence includes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 amino acid substitutions, deletions or insertions. Variants of a xylose reductase provided herein also include, for example, deletions, fusions, or truncations when compared to the reference polypeptide sequence. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the xylose reductase provided herein has an amino acid sequence that is at least 95.0%, at least 95.1%, at least 95.2%, at least 95.3%, at least 95.4%, at least 95.5%, at least 95.6%, at least 95.7%, at least 95.8%, at least 95.9%, at least 96.0%, at least 96.1%, at least 96.2%, at least 96.3%, at least 96.4%, at least 96.5%, at least 96.6%, at least 96.7%, at least 96.8%, at least 96.9%, at least 97.0%, at least 97.1%, at least 97.2%, at least 97.3%, at least 97.4%, at least 97.5%, at least 97.6%, at least 97.7%, at least 97.8%, at least 97.9%, at least 98.0%, at least 98.1%, at least 98.2%, at least 98.3%, at least 98.4%, at least 98.5%, at least 98.6%, at least 98.7%, at least 98.8%, at least 98.9%, at least 99.0%, at least 99.1%, at least 99.2%, at least 99.3%, at least 99.4%, at least 99.5%, at least 99.6%, at least 99.7%, or at least 99.8% identical to any one of SEQ ID NOS: 11-18. In a specific embodiment, the xylose reductase has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 or an amino acid sequence with at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 11.

Also provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species described herein, wherein the genetic modification that attenuates or inactivates a xylitol dehydrogenase of the isolated Metschnikowia species includes the deletion of one or both alleles encoding the xylitol dehydrogenase or a portion thereof of the isolated Metschnikowia species. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein includes the deletion of at least one allele encoding the xylitol dehydrogenase or a portion thereof of the isolated Metschnikowia species. In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein includes the deletion of both alleles encoding the xylitol dehydrogenase or a portion thereof of the isolated Metschnikowia species.

Also provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway that includes overexpression of a xylose transporter. Such Metschnikowia species can have increased production of xylitol from xylose when cultured in medium having xylose as compared to the Metschnikowia species without the xylose transporter. Accordingly, in some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose transporter or, alternatively or additionally, at least one exogenous nucleic acid that results in overexpression of a xylose transporter of the isolated Metschnikowia species. In some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated Metschnikowia species having: (a) at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase or that results in overexpression of a xylose reductase of the isolated Metschnikowia species; (b) a genetic modification that attenuates or inactivates a xylitol dehydrogenase of the isolated Metschnikowia species; and (c) at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose transporter or that results in overexpression of a xylose transporter of the isolated Metschnikowia species.

In some embodiments, the exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose transporter or the xylose transporter that is overexpressed by the introduction of the exogenous nucleic acid is one of the exemplary xylose transporters described herein. For example, in some embodiments, the xylose transporter has an amino acid sequence selected from any one of SEQ ID NOS: 27-40. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 27. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 28. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 29. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 30. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 31. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 32. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 33. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 34. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 35. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 36. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 37. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 38. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 39. In some embodiments, the xylose reductase has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 40.

In some embodiments, the xylose transporter introduced into the isolated Metschnikowia species described herein is a variant of a xylose transporter described herein. Such a variant still retains the functional activity of the xylose transporter. For example, in some embodiments, the xylose transporter has an amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOS: 27-40, wherein the amino acid sequence includes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 amino acid substitutions, deletions or insertions. Variants of a xylose transporter provided herein also include, for example, deletions, fusions, or truncations when compared to the reference polypeptide sequence. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the xylose transporter provided herein has an amino acid sequence that is at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 71%, at least 72%, at least 73%, at least 74%, at least 75%, at least 76%, at least 77%, at least 78%, at least 79%, at least 80%, at least 81%, at least 82%, at least 83%, at least 84%, at least 85%, at least 86%, at least 87%, at least 88%, at least 89%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of SEQ ID NOS: 27-40. In a specific embodiment, the xylose transporter has the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOS: 27-36 or an amino acid sequence that is at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 71%, at least 72%, at least 73%, at least 74%, at least 75%, at least 76%, at least 77%, at least 78%, at least 79%, at least 80%, at least 81%, at least 82%, at least 83%, at least 84%, at least 85%, at least 86%, at least 87%, at least 88%, at least 89%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of SEQ ID NOS: 27-36.

The xylose reductases and the xylose transporters provided herein can be a Metschnikowia xylose reductase or Metschnikowia transporter, respectively, including those from the H0 Metschnikowia sp. having amino acid sequences as shown herein, as well as their variants that retain their respective function (e.g., conversion of xylose to xylitol or xylose transport). For example, provided herein is Xyl1 from the H0 Metschnikowia sp. that has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11, as well as variants thereof that retain the enzymatic function of Xyl1. The enzymatic function of Xyl1 includes, but is not limited to, catalyzing the conversion of xylose to xylitol, which can be determined, for example, by subjecting the variant to an assay as described herein or otherwise known in the art. As another example, provided herein is Xyt1 from the H0 Metschnikowia sp. that has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 27, as well as variants thereof that retain the transporter function of Xyt1. The transporter function of Xyt1 includes, but is not limited to, transport of xylose across cell wall and/or cell membrane, which can be determined, for example, by subjecting the variant to a transporter assay as described herein or otherwise known in the art.

The xylose reductase function can be determined, for example, by expressing the xylose reductase in a Metschnikowia species and measuring the increase in xylitol production by the Metschnikowia species. Likewise, the xylose transporter function can be determined, for example, by expressing the transporter in a Metschnikowia species and measuring the increase in xylose uptake by the Metschnikowia species. In an exemplary assay, a Metschnikowia species overexpressing an endogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase and/or a xylose transporter can be cultured in a xylose-containing medium and the decrease of xylose in the culture medium and/or the increase of xylitol in the medium can be measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In another exemplary assay, starter cultures for wild type and recombinant Metschnikowia species expressing a xylose reductase and/or a xylose transporter can be grown in YEP base medium with controlled amounts of glucose and xylose (%; w/v). Uninoculated medium is used as a reference for a given sampling time; the medium indicates 100% of the starting xylose or xylose at time 0 h. At 24 h intervals, samples at volumes of 300-1000 μL can be removed from the culture aseptically and filtered through a 0.2 μm syringe filter, physically separating medium and yeast. The medium can be transferred to glass vials and the xylose and xylitol content can be examined by HPLC. The recombinant Metschnikowia species expressing a xylose reductase and/or a xylose transporter can consume xylose and produce xylitol at a higher rate than its wild type counterpart, and the differences between wild type and recombinant Metschnikowia species can indicate the xylose reductase and/or xylose transporter function of the variant.

As described herein, the recombinant Metschnikowia species provided can be modified to include a xylitol pathway capable of producing xylitol from xylose. When that modification includes the introduction of a heterologous exogenous nucleic acid sequence encoding at least one enzyme of the xylitol pathway, the coding sequence of the enzyme can be modified in accordance with the codon usage of the host. The standard genetic code is well known in the art, as reviewed in, for example, Osawa et al., Microbiol Rev. 56(1):229-64 (1992). Yeast species, including but not limited to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida azyma, Candida diversa, Candida magnoliae, Candida rugopelliculosa, Yarrowia lipolytica, and Zygoascus hellenicus, use the standard code. Certain yeast species use alternative codes. For example, “CUG,” standard codon for “Leu,” encodes “Ser” in “CUG” clade species such as Candida albicans, Candida cylindracea, Candida melibiosica, Candida parapsilosis, Candida rugose, Pichia stipitis, and Metschnikowia species. The DNA codon table for the H0 Metschnikowia sp. is provided herein. The DNA codon CTG in a foreign gene from a non “CUG” clade species needs to be changed to TTG, CTT, CTC, TTA or CTA for a functional expression of a protein in the Metschnikowia species. Other codon optimization can result in increase of protein expression of a foreign gene in the Metschnikowia species. Methods of Codon optimization are well known in the art (e.g. Chung et al., BMC Syst Biol. 6:134 (2012); Chin et al., Bioinformatics 30(15):2210-12 (2014)), and various tools are available (e.g. DNA2.0 at https://www.dna20.com/services/genegps; and OPTIMIZER at http://genomes.urv.es/OPTIMIZER).

In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species can have one or more copies of an exogenous nucleic acid described herein. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species has two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, or more copies of the exogenous nucleic acid. Expression of more than one exogenous nucleic acid described herein can further improve xylose uptake into the Metschnikowia species and/or conversion of xylose to xylitol. As such, the Metschnikowia species can have at least one, at least two, at least three, at least four, at least five, at least six, at least seven, at least eight, at least nine, or at least ten exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter and/or a xylose reductase. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species have at least two exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter and/or a xylose reductase. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species have at least three exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter and/or a xylose reductase. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species have at least four exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter and/or a xylose reductase. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species have at least five exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter and/or a xylose reductase. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species have at least six exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter and/or a xylose reductase. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species have at least seven exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter and/or a xylose reductase. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species have at least eight exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species have at least nine exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter and/or a xylose reductase. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species have at least ten exogenous nucleic acids each encoding a xylose transporter and/or a xylose reductase.

In some embodiments, the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein can have one or more xylitol pathway to produce xylitol from xylose. The xylitol pathway can be an endogenous pathway or an exogenous pathway. The Metschnikowia species provided herein can further have expressible nucleic acids encoding one or more of the enzymes or proteins participating in one or more xylitol pathway for production of xylitol. The nucleic acids for some or all of a particular xylitol pathway can be expressed, depending upon what enzymes or proteins are endogenous to the Metschnikowia species. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species can have endogenous expression of all enzymes of a xylitol pathway to produce xylitol from xylose and naturally produce the xylitol, which can be improved by further modifying or increasing expression of an enzyme or protein of the xylitol pathway (e.g., a xylose transporter or xylose reductase). In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species can be deficient in one or more enzymes or proteins for a desired xylitol pathway, then expressible nucleic acids for the deficient enzyme(s) or protein(s) are introduced into the Metschnikowia species for subsequent exogenous expression. Alternatively, if the Metschnikowia species exhibits endogenous expression of some pathway genes, but is deficient in others, then an encoding nucleic acid is needed for the deficient enzyme(s) or protein(s) to achieve biosynthesis of xylitol. Thus, a recombinant Metschnikowia species can further include exogenous enzyme or protein activities to obtain a desired xylitol pathway or a desired xylitol pathway can be obtained by introducing one or more exogenous enzyme or protein activities that, together with one or more endogenous enzymes or proteins, produces xylitol.

The Metschnikowia species provided herein can contain stable genetic alterations, which refers to microorganisms that can be cultured for greater than five generations without loss of the alteration. Generally, stable genetic alterations include modifications that persist greater than 10 generations, particularly stable modifications will persist more than about 25 generations, and more particularly, stable genetic modifications will be greater than 50 generations, including indefinitely.

In the case of genetic modifications that attenuate or inactive an enzyme or protein, a particularly useful stable genetic alteration is a gene deletion. The use of a gene deletion to introduce a stable genetic alteration is particularly useful to reduce the likelihood of a reversion to a phenotype prior to the genetic alteration. For example, stable growth-coupled production of xylitol can be achieved, for example, by deletion of a gene encoding a xylitol dehydrogenase. The stability of growth-coupled production of xylitol can be further enhanced through multiple deletions (e.g., deletion of both alleles of given gene), significantly reducing the likelihood of multiple compensatory reversions occurring for each disrupted activity.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the genetic alterations, including metabolic modifications exemplified herein, are described with reference to a suitable host organism such as a Metschnikowia species provided herein and their corresponding metabolic reactions or a suitable source organism for desired genetic material such as genes for a desired metabolic pathway. However, given the complete genome sequencing of a wide variety of organisms and the high level of skill in the area of genomics, those skilled in the art will readily be able to apply the teachings and guidance provided herein to essentially all other organisms. For example, the metabolic alterations exemplified herein can readily be applied to other species by incorporating the same or analogous encoding nucleic acid from species other than the referenced species. Such genetic alterations include, for example, genetic alterations of species homologs, in general, and in particular, orthologs, paralogs or nonorthologous gene displacements.

An ortholog is a gene or genes that are related by vertical descent and are responsible for substantially the same or identical functions in different organisms. For example, mouse epoxide hydrolase and human epoxide hydrolase can be considered orthologs for the biological function of hydrolysis of epoxides. Genes are related by vertical descent when, for example, they share sequence similarity of sufficient amount to indicate they are homologous, or related by evolution from a common ancestor. Genes can also be considered orthologs if they share three-dimensional structure but not necessarily sequence similarity, of a sufficient amount to indicate that they have evolved from a common ancestor to the extent that the primary sequence similarity is not identifiable. Genes that are orthologous can encode proteins with sequence similarity of about 25% to 100% amino acid sequence identity. Genes encoding proteins sharing an amino acid similarity less that 25% can also be considered to have arisen by vertical descent if their three-dimensional structure also shows similarities. Members of the serine protease family of enzymes, including tissue plasminogen activator and elastase, are considered to have arisen by vertical descent from a common ancestor.

Orthologs include genes or their encoded gene products that through, for example, evolution, have diverged in structure or overall activity. For example, where one species encodes a gene product exhibiting two functions and where such functions have been separated into distinct genes in a second species, the three genes and their corresponding products are considered to be orthologs. For the production of a biochemical compound, those skilled in the art will understand that the orthologous gene harboring the metabolic activity to be introduced or disrupted is to be chosen for construction of the Metschnikowia species provided herein. An example of orthologs exhibiting separable activities is where distinct activities have been separated into distinct gene products between two or more species or within a single species. A specific example is the separation of elastase proteolysis and plasminogen proteolysis, two types of serine protease activity, into distinct molecules as plasminogen activator and elastase. A second example is the separation of mycoplasma 5′-3′ exonuclease and Drosophila DNA polymerase III activity. The DNA polymerase from the first species can be considered an ortholog to either or both of the exonuclease or the polymerase from the second species and vice versa.

In contrast, paralogs are homologs related by, for example, duplication followed by evolutionary divergence and have similar or common, but not identical functions. Paralogs can originate or derive from, for example, the same species or from a different species. For example, microsomal epoxide hydrolase (epoxide hydrolase I) and soluble epoxide hydrolase (epoxide hydrolase II) can be considered paralogs because they represent two distinct enzymes, co-evolved from a common ancestor, that catalyze distinct reactions and have distinct functions in the same species. Paralogs are proteins from the same species with significant sequence similarity to each other suggesting that they are homologous, or related through co-evolution from a common ancestor. Groups of paralogous protein families include HipA homologs, luciferase genes, peptidases, and others.

A nonorthologous gene displacement is a nonorthologous gene from one species that can substitute for a referenced gene function in a different species. Substitution includes, for example, being able to perform substantially the same or a similar function in the species of origin compared to the referenced function in the different species. Although generally, a nonorthologous gene displacement will be identifiable as structurally related to a known gene encoding the referenced function, less structurally related but functionally similar genes and their corresponding gene products nevertheless will still fall within the meaning of the term as it is used herein. Functional similarity requires, for example, at least some structural similarity in the active site or binding region of a nonorthologous gene product compared to a gene encoding the function sought to be substituted. Therefore, a nonorthologous gene includes, for example, a paralog or an unrelated gene.

Therefore, in identifying and constructing the Metschnikowia species provided herein having biosynthetic capability, those skilled in the art will understand with applying the teaching and guidance provided herein to a particular species that the identification of metabolic modifications can include identification and inclusion or inactivation of orthologs. To the extent that paralogs and/or nonorthologous gene displacements are present in the referenced microorganism that encode an enzyme catalyzing a similar or substantially similar metabolic reaction, those skilled in the art also can utilize these evolutionally related genes. Similarly for a gene disruption, evolutionally related genes can also be disrupted or deleted in a host microbial organism to reduce or eliminate functional redundancy of enzymatic activities targeted for disruption.

Orthologs, paralogs and nonorthologous gene displacements can be determined by methods well known to those skilled in the art. For example, inspection of nucleic acid or amino acid sequences for two polypeptides will reveal sequence identity and similarities between the compared sequences. Based on such similarities, one skilled in the art can determine if the similarity is sufficiently high to indicate the proteins are related through evolution from a common ancestor. Algorithms well known to those skilled in the art, such as Align, BLAST, Clustal W and others compare and determine a raw sequence similarity or identity, and also determine the presence or significance of gaps in the sequence which can be assigned a weight or score. Such algorithms also are known in the art and are similarly applicable for determining nucleotide sequence similarity or identity. Parameters for sufficient similarity to determine relatedness are computed based on well known methods for calculating statistical similarity, or the chance of finding a similar match in a random polypeptide, and the significance of the match determined. A computer comparison of two or more sequences can, if desired, also be optimized visually by those skilled in the art. Related gene products or proteins can be expected to have a high similarity, for example, 25% to 100% sequence identity. Proteins that are unrelated can have an identity which is essentially the same as would be expected to occur by chance, if a database of sufficient size is scanned (about 5%). Sequences between 5% and 24% may or may not represent sufficient homology to conclude that the compared sequences are related. Additional statistical analysis to determine the significance of such matches given the size of the data set can be carried out to determine the relevance of these sequences.

Exemplary parameters for determining relatedness of two or more sequences using the BLAST algorithm, for example, can be as set forth below. Briefly, amino acid sequence alignments can be performed using BLASTP version 2.0.8 (Jan. 5, 2099) and the following parameters: Matrix: 0 BLOSUM62; gap open: 11; gap extension: 1; x_dropoff: 50; expect: 10.0; wordsize: 3; filter: on. Nucleic acid sequence alignments can be performed using BLASTN version 2.0.6 (Sep. 16, 1998) and the following parameters: Match: 1; mismatch: −2; gap open: 5; gap extension: 2; x_dropoff: 50; expect: 10.0; wordsize: 11; filter: off. Those skilled in the art will know what modifications can be made to the above parameters to either increase or decrease the stringency of the comparison, for example, and determine the relatedness of two or more sequences.

Provided herein are methods of producing xylitol using an isolated Metschnikowia species described herein. Such methods can include culturing the isolated Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway for producing xylitol under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce xylitol from xylose. Accordingly, in some embodiments, provided herein is a method for producing xylitol comprising culturing an isolated Metschnikowia species having: (a) at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase or that results in overexpression of a xylose reductase of the isolated Metschnikowia species; and (b) a genetic modification that attenuates or inactivates a xylitol dehydrogenase of the isolated Metschnikowia species, under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce xylitol from xylose.

The methods provided herein include the production of xylitol at a specified rate and/or concentration. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the method provided herein produces the xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 0.50 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 0.60 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 0.70 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 0.80 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 0.90 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 1.00 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 1.50 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 2.00 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 2.50 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 3.00 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 3.50 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 4.00 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 5.00 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 6.00 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 7.00 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 8.00 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of at least 9.00 g/L/h. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a rate of or at least 10.00 g/L/h.

In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 75 g/L In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 80 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 85 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 90 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 95 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 100 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 110 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 120 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 130 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 140 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 150 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 160 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 170 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 180 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 190 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 200 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 250 g/L. In some embodiments, the method provided herein produces xylitol from xylose at a concentration of at least 300 g/L.

Any of the Metschnikowia species described herein can be cultured to produce and/or secrete xylitol. For example, the Metschnikowia species provided herein can be cultured for the biosynthetic production of xylitol. Accordingly, in some embodiments, provided herein are culture media containing xylitol. In some aspects, the culture medium can also be separated from the Metschnikowia species that produced the xylitol. Methods for separating a microbial organism from culture medium are well known in the art. Exemplary methods include filtration, flocculation, precipitation, centrifugation, sedimentation, and the like.

For the production of xylitol, the Metschnikowia species provided herein are cultured in a medium with a carbon source and other essential nutrients. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species provided herein are cultured in an aerobic culture medium. The aerobic culturing can be batch, fed-batch or continuous culturing, wherein the dissolved oxygen in the medium is above 50% of saturation. In some embodiments, the Metschnikowia species provided herein are cultured in a substantially anaerobic culture medium. As described herein, one exemplary growth condition for achieving biosynthesis of xylitol includes anaerobic culture or fermentation conditions. In certain embodiments, the Metschnikowia species provided herein can be sustained, cultured or fermented under anaerobic or substantially anaerobic conditions. Briefly, an anaerobic condition refers to an environment devoid of oxygen. Substantially anaerobic conditions include, for example, a culture, batch fermentation or continuous fermentation such that the dissolved oxygen concentration in the medium remains between 0 and 10% of saturation. Substantially anaerobic conditions also include growing or resting cells in liquid medium or on solid agar inside a sealed chamber maintained with an atmosphere of less than 1% oxygen. The percent of oxygen can be maintained by, for example, sparging the culture with an N₂/CO₂ mixture or other suitable non-oxygen gas or gases.

It is sometimes desirable to maintain anaerobic conditions in the fermenter to reduce the cost of the overall process. Such conditions can be obtained, for example, by first sparging the medium with nitrogen and then sealing the flasks with a septum and crimp-cap. For strains where growth is not observed anaerobically, microaerobic or substantially anaerobic conditions can be applied by perforating the septum with a small hole for limited aeration. Exemplary anaerobic conditions have been described previously and are well-known in the art. Exemplary aerobic and anaerobic conditions are described, for example, in United States publication 2009/0047719, filed Aug. 10, 2007. Fermentations can be performed in a batch, fed-batch or continuous manner, as disclosed herein. Fermentations can also be conducted in two phases, if desired. The first phase can be aerobic to allow for high growth and therefore high productivity, followed by an anaerobic phase of high yields.

If desired, the pH of the medium can be maintained at a desired pH, such as a pH of around 5.5-6.5 by addition of a base, such as NaOH or other bases, or acid, as needed to maintain the culture medium at a desirable pH. The growth rate can be determined by measuring optical density using a spectrophotometer (600 nm), and the xylose uptake rate by monitoring carbon source depletion over time.

The culture medium for the Metschnikowia species provided herein can include xylose, either as the sole source of carbon or in combination with one or more co-substrates described herein or known in the art. The culture medium can further include other supplements, such as yeast extract, and/or peptone. The culture medium can further include, for example, any other carbohydrate source which can supply a source of carbon to the Metschnikowia species. Such sources include, for example: other sugars such as cellobiose, galactose, glucose, ethanol, acetate, arabitol, sorbitol and glycerol. Thus, the culture medium can include xylose and the co-substrate glucose. The culture medium can include xylose and the co-substrate cellobiose. The culture medium can include xylose and the co-substrate galactose. The culture medium can include xylose and the co-substrate glycerol. The culture medium can include a combination of glucose, xylose and cellobiose. The culture medium can include a combination of glucose, xylose, and galactose. The culture medium can include a combination of glucose, xylose, and glycerol. The culture medium can include a combination of xylose, cellobiose, galactose and glycerol.

The culture medium can have 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, 20%, or higher amount of a carbon source (w/v). In some embodiments, the culture medium can have 2% carbon source. In some embodiments, the culture medium can have 4% carbon source. In some embodiments, the culture medium can have 10% carbon source. In some embodiments, the culture medium can have 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, 20%, or higher amount of xylose (w/v). The culture medium can have 1% xylose. The culture medium can have 2% xylose. The culture medium can have 3% xylose. The culture medium can have 4% xylose. The culture medium can have 5% xylose. The culture medium can have 6% xylose. The culture medium can have 7% xylose. The culture medium can have 8% xylose. The culture medium can have 9% xylose. The culture medium can have 10% xylose. The culture medium can have 11% xylose. The culture medium can have 12% xylose. The culture medium can have 13% xylose. The culture medium can have 14% xylose. The culture medium can have 15% xylose. The culture medium can have 16% xylose. The culture medium can have 17% xylose. The culture medium can have 18% xylose. The culture medium can have 19% xylose. The culture medium can have 20% xylose.

In some embodiments, xylose is not the only carbon source. For example, in some embodiments, the medium includes xylose and a C3 carbon source, a C4 carbon source, a C5 carbon source, a C6 carbon source, or a combination thereof. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the medium includes xylose and a C3 carbon source (e.g., glycerol). In some embodiments, the medium includes xylose and a C4 carbon source (e.g., erythrose or threose). In some embodiments, the medium includes xylose and a C5 carbon source (e.g., arabitol, ribose or lyxose). In some embodiments, the medium includes xylose and a C6 carbon source (e.g., glucose, galactose, mannose, allose, altrose, gulose, and idose). Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the medium includes xylose and cellobiose, galactose, glucose, arabitol, sorbitol and glycerol, or a combination thereof. In a specific embodiment, the medium includes xylose and glucose. The amount of the two or more carbon sources in the medium can range independently from 1% to 20% (e.g., 1% to 20% xylose and 1% to 20% glucose), or alternatively 2% to 14% (e.g., 2% to 14% xylose and 2% to 14% glucose), or alternatively 4% to 10% (e.g., 4% to 10% xylose and 4% to 10%). In a specific embodiment, the amount of each of the carbon sources is 2% (e.g., 2% xylose and 2% glucose)

The culture medium can be a C5-rich medium, with a five carbon sugar (such as xylose) as the primary carbon source. The culture medium can also have a C6 sugar (six-carbon sugar). In some embodiments, the culture medium can have a C6 sugar as the primary carbon source. In some embodiments, the C6 sugar is glucose. The culture can have both a C6 sugar and a C5 sugar as the carbon source, and can have the C6 sugar and the C5 sugar present at different ratios. In some embodiment, the ratio of the amount of C6 sugar to that of the C5 sugar (the C6:C5 ratio) in the culture medium is between about 10:1 and about 1:20. For example, the C6:C5 ratio in the culture medium can be about 10:1, 9:1, 8:1, 7:1, 6:1, 5:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, 1:10, 1:11, 1:12, 1:13, 1:14, 1:15, 1:16, 1:17, 1:18, 1:19 or 1:20. In some embodiments, the C6:C5 ratio in the culture medium is about 3:1. In some embodiments, the C6:C5 ratio in the culture medium is about 1:1. In some embodiments, the C6:C5 ratio in the culture medium is about 1:5. In some embodiments, the C6:C5 ratio in the culture medium is about 1:10. The C5 sugar can be xylose, and the C6 sugar can be glucose. In some embodiments, the ratio of the amount of glucose to that of xylose (the glucose:xylose ratio) in the culture medium is between about 20:1 and about 1:10. For example, the glucose:xylose ratio in the culture medium can be about 20:1, 19:1, 18:1, 17:1, 16:1, 15:1, 14:1, 13:1, 12:1, 11:1, 10:1, 9:1, 8:1, 7:1, 6:1, 5:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7, 1:8, 1:9 or 1:10. In some embodiments, the glucose:xylose ratio in the culture medium is about 3:1. In some embodiments, the glucose:xylose ratio in the culture medium is about 1:1. In some embodiments, the glucose:xylose ratio in the culture medium is about 1:5. In some embodiments, the glucose:xylose ratio in the culture medium is about 1:10.

Other sources of carbohydrate include, for example, renewable feedstocks and biomass. Exemplary types of biomasses that can be used as feedstocks in the methods provided herein include cellulosic biomass and hemicellulosic biomass feedstocks or portions of feedstocks. Such biomass feedstocks contain, for example, carbohydrate substrates useful as carbon sources such as xylose, glucose, arabinose, galactose, mannose, fructose and starch. Given the teachings and guidance provided herein, those skilled in the art will understand that renewable feedstocks and biomass other than those exemplified above also can be used for culturing the microbial organisms provided herein for the production of xylitol.

Accordingly, given the teachings and guidance provided herein, those skilled in the art will understand that a Metschnikowia species can be produced that secretes xylitol when grown on xylose as a carbon source. All that is required is to engineer in one or more of the required enzyme or protein activities to achieve biosynthesis of xylitol including, for example, inclusion of some or all of the biosynthetic pathway for producing xylitol. Additionally, a genetic modification can be engineered into the Metschnikowia species that attenuate or inactivates an enzyme that further catalyzes the conversion of xylitol into another compound, such as a xylitol dehydrogenase. Accordingly, provided herein is a Metschnikowia species that produces and/or secretes xylitol when grown on a carbohydrate, such as xylose, or other carbon source.

The Metschnikowia species provided herein can be constructed using methods well known in the art as exemplified herein to exogenously express at least one nucleic acid encoding an enzyme or protein of a xylitol pathway described herein in sufficient amounts to produce xylitol from xylose. It is understood that the Metschnikowia species provided herein are cultured under conditions sufficient to produce xylitol. Following the teachings and guidance provided herein, the Metschnikowia species provided herein can achieve biosynthesis of the desired compound resulting in intracellular concentrations between about 0.1-200 mM or more. Generally, the intracellular concentration of the desired compound between about 3-150 mM, particularly between about 5-125 mM and more particularly between about 8-100 mM, including about 10 mM, 20 mM, 50 mM, 80 mM, or more. Intracellular concentrations between and above each of these exemplary ranges also can be achieved from the Metschnikowia species provided herein.

In some embodiments, culture conditions include anaerobic or substantially anaerobic growth or maintenance conditions. Exemplary anaerobic conditions have been described previously and are well known in the art. Exemplary anaerobic conditions for fermentation processes are described herein and are described, for example, in U.S. publication 2009/0047719. Any of these conditions can be employed with the Metschnikowia species as well as other anaerobic conditions well known in the art. Under such anaerobic or substantially anaerobic conditions, the producer strains can synthesize the desired compound at intracellular concentrations of 5-10 mM or more as well as all other concentrations exemplified herein. It is understood that, even though the above description refers to intracellular concentrations, the producing microbial organisms can produce the desired compound intracellularly and/or secrete the compound into the culture medium.

The methods provided herein can include any culturing process well known in the art, such as batch cultivation, fed-batch cultivation or continuous cultivation. Such process can include fermentation. Exemplary fermentation processes include, but are not limited to, fed-batch fermentation and batch separation; fed-batch fermentation and continuous separation; and continuous fermentation and continuous separation. In an exemplary batch fermentation protocol, the production organism is grown in a suitably sized bioreactor sparged with an appropriate gas. Under anaerobic conditions, the culture is sparged with an inert gas or combination of gases, for example, nitrogen, N₂/CO₂ mixture, argon, helium, and the like. As the cells grow and utilize the carbon source, additional carbon source(s) and/or other nutrients are fed into the bioreactor at a rate approximately balancing consumption of the carbon source and/or nutrients. The temperature of the bioreactor is maintained at a desired temperature, generally in the range of 22-37 degrees C., but the temperature can be maintained at a higher or lower temperature depending on the growth characteristics of the production organism and/or desired conditions for the fermentation process. Growth continues for a desired period of time to achieve desired characteristics of the culture in the fermenter, for example, cell density, compound concentration, and the like. In a batch fermentation process, the time period for the fermentation is generally in the range of several hours to several days, for example, 8 to 24 hours, or 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days, or up to a week, depending on the desired culture conditions. The pH can be controlled or not, as desired, in which case a culture in which pH is not controlled will typically decrease or increase to pH 5-6 by the end of the run. Upon completion of the cultivation period, the fermenter contents can be passed through a cell separation unit, for example, a centrifuge, filtration unit, and the like, to remove cells and cell debris. In the case where the desired compound is expressed intracellularly, the cells can be lysed or disrupted enzymatically or chemically prior to or after separation of cells from the fermentation broth, as desired, in order to release additional compound. The fermentation broth can be transferred to a compound separations unit. Isolation of compound occurs by standard separations procedures employed in the art to separate a desired compound from dilute aqueous solutions. Such methods include, but are not limited to, liquid-liquid extraction using a water immiscible organic solvent (e.g., toluene or other suitable solvents, including but not limited to diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran (THF), methylene chloride, chloroform, benzene, pentane, hexane, heptane, petroleum ether, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), dioxane, dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and the like) to provide an organic solution of the compound, if appropriate, standard distillation methods, and the like, depending on the chemical characteristics of the compound of the fermentation process.

In an exemplary fully continuous fermentation protocol, the production organism is generally first grown up in batch mode in order to achieve a desired cell density. When the carbon source and/or other nutrients are exhausted, feed medium of the same composition is supplied continuously at a desired rate, and fermentation liquid is withdrawn at the same rate. Under such conditions, the compound concentration in the bioreactor generally remains constant, as well as the cell density. The temperature of the fermenter is maintained at a desired temperature, as discussed above. During the continuous fermentation phase, it is generally desirable to maintain a suitable pH range for optimized production. The pH can be monitored and maintained using routine methods, including the addition of suitable acids or bases to maintain a desired pH range. The bioreactor is operated continuously for extended periods of time, generally at least one week to several weeks and up to one month, or longer, as appropriate and desired. The fermentation liquid and/or culture is monitored periodically, including sampling up to every day, as desired, to assure consistency of compound concentration and/or cell density. In continuous mode, fermenter contents are constantly removed as new feed medium is supplied. The exit stream, containing cells, medium, and product, are generally subjected to a continuous compound separations procedure, with or without removing cells and cell debris, as desired. Continuous separations methods employed in the art can be used to separate the compound from dilute aqueous solutions, including but not limited to continuous liquid-liquid extraction using a water immiscible organic solvent (e.g., toluene or other suitable solvents, including but not limited to diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran (THF), methylene chloride, chloroform, benzene, pentane, hexane, heptane, petroleum ether, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), dioxane, dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and the like), standard continuous distillation methods, and the like, or other methods well known in the art.

In addition to the culturing and fermentation conditions disclosed herein, growth condition for achieving biosynthesis of the desired compound can include the addition of an osmoprotectant to the culturing conditions. In certain embodiments, the Metschnikowia species provided herein can be sustained, cultured or fermented as described herein in the presence of an osmoprotectant. Briefly, an osmoprotectant refers to a compound that acts as an osmolyte and helps a microbial organism as described herein survive osmotic stress. Osmoprotectants include, but are not limited to, betaines, amino acids, and the sugar trehalose. Non-limiting examples of such are glycine betaine, praline betaine, dimethylthetin, dimethylslfonioproprionate, 3-dimethyl sulfonio-2-methylproprionate, pipecolic acid, dimethyl sulfonioacetate, choline, L-carnitine and ectoine. In one aspect, the osmoprotectant is glycine betaine. It is understood to one of ordinary skill in the art that the amount and type of osmoprotectant suitable for protecting a microbial organism described herein from osmotic stress will depend on the microbial organism used. The amount of osmoprotectant in the culturing conditions can be, for example, no more than about 0.1 mM, no more than about 0.5 mM, no more than about 1.0 mM, no more than about 1.5 mM, no more than about 2.0 mM, no more than about 2.5 mM, no more than about 3.0 mM, no more than about 5.0 mM, no more than about 7.0 mM, no more than about 10 mM, no more than about 50 mM, no more than about 100 mM or no more than about 500 mM.

The culture conditions can include, for example, liquid culture procedures as well as fermentation and other large scale culture procedures. As described herein, particularly useful yields of the biosynthetic products can be obtained under aerobic, anaerobic or substantially anaerobic culture conditions.

The culture conditions described herein can be scaled up and grown continuously for manufacturing of a desired compound. Exemplary growth procedures include, for example, fed-batch fermentation and batch separation; fed-batch fermentation and continuous separation, or continuous fermentation and continuous separation. All of these processes are well known in the art. Fermentation procedures are particularly useful for the biosynthetic production of commercial quantities of a desired product. Generally, and as with non-continuous culture procedures, the continuous and/or near-continuous production includes culturing the microbial organisms provided herein in sufficient nutrients and medium to sustain and/or nearly sustain growth in an exponential phase. Continuous culture under such conditions can include, for example, growth or culturing for 1 day, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 days or more. Additionally, continuous culture can include longer time periods of 1 week, 2, 3, 4 or 5 or more weeks and up to several months. Alternatively, organisms provided herein can be cultured for hours, if suitable for a particular application. It is to be understood that the continuous and/or near-continuous culture conditions also can include all time intervals in between these exemplary periods. It is further understood that the time of culturing the microbial organism provided herein is for a sufficient period of time to produce a sufficient amount of compound for a desired purpose.

In addition to the above fermentation procedures using Metschnikowia species provided herein using continuous production of substantial quantities of xylitol, the bioderived compound also can be, for example, simultaneously subjected to chemical synthesis and/or enzymatic procedures to convert the xylitol to other compounds, or the bioderived xylitol can be separated from the fermentation culture and sequentially subjected to chemical and/or enzymatic conversion to convert the xylitol to other compounds, if desired.

To generate better producers, metabolic modeling can be utilized to optimize growth conditions. Modeling can also be used to design gene knockouts that additionally optimize utilization of the pathway (see, for example, U.S. patent publications US 2002/0012939, US 2003/0224363, US 2004/0029149, US 2004/0072723, US 2003/0059792, US 2002/0168654 and US 2004/0009466, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,127,379). Modeling analysis allows reliable predictions of the effects on cell growth of shifting the metabolism towards more efficient production of a desired product.

In some embodiments, the methods provided herein to produce bioderived xylitol further include separating the bioderived xylitol from other components in the culture using a variety of methods well known in the art. Such separation methods include, for example, extraction procedures as well as methods that include continuous liquid-liquid extraction, pervaporation, membrane filtration, membrane separation, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, distillation, crystallization, centrifugation, extractive filtration, ion exchange chromatography, size exclusion chromatography, adsorption chromatography, ultrafiltration, activated charcoal adsorption, pH adjustment and precipitation, or a combination of one or more methods enumerated above. All of the above methods are well known in the art.

Provided herein is bioderived xylitol as described herein. Such bioderived xylitol is, in some embodiments, are produced by the Metschnikowia species described herein. Also provided herein are compositions having bioderived xylitol produced by the Metschnikowia species described herein, and an additional component. The component other than the bioderived xylitol can be a cellular portion, for example, a trace amount of a cellular portion of the culture medium, or can be fermentation broth or culture medium or a purified or partially purified fraction thereof produced in the presence of, a Metschnikowia species provided herein.

Thus, in some embodiments, the composition is culture medium. In some embodiments, the culture medium can be culture medium from which the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein has been removed. The composition can have, for example, a reduced level of a byproduct when produced by the Metschnikowia species provided herein. The composition can have, for example, bioderived xylitol, and a cell lysate or culture supernatant of a Metschnikowia species provided herein. The additional component can be a byproduct, or an impurity, such as glycerol, arabitol, a C7 sugar alcohol, or a combination thereof. The byproduct can be glycerol. The byproduct can be arabitol. The byproduct can be a C7 sugar alcohol (e.g., volemitol or an isomer thereof). In some embodiments, the byproduct or impurity (e.g., glycerol or arabitol, or both) is at least 10%, 20%, 30% or 40% greater than the amount of the respective byproduct or impurity produced by a microbial organism other than the isolated Metschnikowia species provided herein.

In some embodiments, the compositions provided herein can have bioderived xylitol and an additional component. The additional component can be fermentation broth or culture medium. The additional component can be the supernatant of fermentation broth or culture medium. The additional component can be a cellular portion of fermentation broth or culture medium. The additional component can be the Metschnikowia species provided herein. The additional component can be the cell lysate of the Metschnikowia species provided herein. The additional component can be a byproduct, such as glycerol, arabitol, a C7 sugar alcohol, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the carbon feedstock and other cellular uptake sources such as phosphate, ammonia, sulfate, chloride and other halogens can be chosen to alter the isotopic distribution of the atoms present in the bioderived xylitol produced by microbial organisms provided herein. The various carbon feedstock and other uptake sources enumerated above will be referred to herein, collectively, as “uptake sources.” Uptake sources can provide isotopic enrichment for any atom present in the bioderived xylitol produced by microbial organisms provided herein, or in the byproducts or impurities. Isotopic enrichment can be achieved for any target atom including, for example, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, chloride or other halogens.

In some embodiments, the uptake sources can be selected to alter the carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14 ratios. In some embodiments, the uptake sources can be selected to alter the oxygen-16, oxygen-17, and oxygen-18 ratios. In some embodiments, the uptake sources can be selected to alter the hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium ratios. In some embodiments, the uptake sources can be selected to alter the nitrogen-14 and nitrogen-15 ratios. In some embodiments, the uptake sources can be selected to alter the sulfur-32, sulfur-33, sulfur-34, and sulfur-35 ratios. In some embodiments, the uptake sources can be selected to alter the phosphorus-31, phosphorus-32, and phosphorus-33 ratios. In some embodiments, the uptake sources can be selected to alter the chlorine-35, chlorine-36, and chlorine-37 ratios.

In some embodiments, the isotopic ratio of a target atom can be varied to a desired ratio by selecting one or more uptake sources. An uptake source can be derived from a natural source, as found in nature, or from a man-made source, and one skilled in the art can select a natural source, a man-made source, or a combination thereof, to achieve a desired isotopic ratio of a target atom. An example of a man-made uptake source includes, for example, an uptake source that is at least partially derived from a chemical synthetic reaction. Such isotopically enriched uptake sources can be purchased commercially or prepared in the laboratory and/or optionally mixed with a natural source of the uptake source to achieve a desired isotopic ratio. In some embodiments, a target atom isotopic ratio of an uptake source can be achieved by selecting a desired origin of the uptake source as found in nature. For example, as discussed herein, a natural source can be a biobased derived from or synthesized by a biological organism or a source such as petroleum-based products or the atmosphere. In some such embodiments, a source of carbon, for example, can be selected from a fossil fuel-derived carbon source, which can be relatively depleted of carbon-14, or an environmental or atmospheric carbon source, such as CO₂, which can possess a larger amount of carbon-14 than its petroleum-derived counterpart.

The unstable carbon isotope carbon-14 or radiocarbon makes up for roughly 1 in 10¹² carbon atoms in the earth's atmosphere and has a half-life of about 5700 years. The stock of carbon is replenished in the upper atmosphere by a nuclear reaction involving cosmic rays and ordinary nitrogen (¹⁴N). Fossil fuels contain no carbon-14, as it decayed long ago. Burning of fossil fuels lowers the atmospheric carbon-14 fraction, the so-called “Suess effect”.

Methods of determining the isotopic ratios of atoms in a compound are well known to those skilled in the art. Isotopic enrichment is readily assessed by mass spectrometry using techniques known in the art such as accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS), Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (SIRMS) and Site-Specific Natural Isotopic Fractionation by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SNIF-NMR). Such mass spectral techniques can be integrated with separation techniques such as liquid chromatography (LC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and/or gas chromatography, and the like.

In the case of carbon, ASTM D6866 was developed in the United States as a standardized analytical method for determining the biobased content of solid, liquid, and gaseous samples using radiocarbon dating by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International. The standard is based on the use of radiocarbon dating for the determination of a product's biobased content. ASTM D6866 was first published in 2004, and the current active version of the standard is ASTM D6866-11 (effective Apr. 1, 2011). Radiocarbon dating techniques are well known to those skilled in the art, including those described herein.

The biobased content of a compound is estimated by the ratio of carbon-14 (¹⁴C) to carbon-12 (¹²C). Specifically, the Fraction Modern (Fm) is computed from the expression: Fm=(S−B)/(M−B), where B, S and M represent the ¹⁴C/¹²C ratios of the blank, the sample and the modern reference, respectively. Fraction Modern is a measurement of the deviation of the ¹⁴C/¹²C ratio of a sample from “Modern.” Modern is defined as 95% of the radiocarbon concentration (in AD 1950) of National Bureau of Standards (NBS) Oxalic Acid I (i.e., standard reference materials (SRM) 4990b) normalized to δ¹³C_(VPDB)=−19 per mil (Olsson, The use of Oxalic acid as a Standard. in, Radiocarbon Variations and Absolute Chronology, Nobel Symposium, 12th Proc., John Wiley & Sons, New York (1970)). Mass spectrometry results, for example, measured by ASM, are calculated using the internationally agreed upon definition of 0.95 times the specific activity of NBS Oxalic Acid I (SRM 4990b) normalized to δ¹³C_(VPDB)=−19 per mil. This is equivalent to an absolute (AD 1950)¹⁴C/¹²C ratio of 1.176±0.010×10¹² (Karlen et al., Arkiv Geoftsik, 4:465-471 (1968)). The standard calculations take into account the differential uptake of one isotope with respect to another, for example, the preferential uptake in biological systems of ¹²C over ¹³C over ¹⁴C, and these corrections are reflected as a Fm corrected for δ¹³.

An oxalic acid standard (SRM 4990b or HOx 1) was made from a crop of 1955 sugar beet. Although there were 1000 lbs made, this oxalic acid standard is no longer commercially available. The Oxalic Acid II standard (HOx 2; N.I.S.T designation SRM 4990 C) was made from a crop of 1977 French beet molasses. In the early 1980's, a group of 12 laboratories measured the ratios of the two standards. The ratio of the activity of Oxalic acid II to 1 is 1.2933±0.001 (the weighted mean). The isotopic ratio of HOx II is −17.8 per mil. ASTM D6866-11 suggests use of the available Oxalic Acid II standard SRM 4990 C (Hox2) for the modern standard (see discussion of original vs. currently available oxalic acid standards in Mann, Radiocarbon, 25(2):519-527 (1983)). A Fm=0% represents the entire lack of carbon-14 atoms in a material, thus indicating a fossil (for example, petroleum based) carbon source. A Fm=100%, after correction for the post-1950 injection of carbon-14 into the atmosphere from nuclear bomb testing, indicates an entirely modern carbon source. As described herein, such a “modern” source includes biobased sources.

As described in ASTM D6866, the percent modern carbon (pMC) can be greater than 100% because of the continuing but diminishing effects of the 1950s nuclear testing programs, which resulted in a considerable enrichment of carbon-14 in the atmosphere as described in ASTM D6866-11. Because all sample carbon-14 activities are referenced to a “pre-bomb” standard, and because nearly all new biobased products are produced in a post-bomb environment, all pMC values (after correction for isotopic fraction) must be multiplied by 0.95 (as of 2010) to better reflect the true biobased content of the sample. A biobased content that is greater than 103% suggests that either an analytical error has occurred, or that the source of biobased carbon is more than several years old.

ASTM D6866 quantifies the biobased content relative to the material's total organic content and does not consider the inorganic carbon and other non-carbon containing substances present. For example, a product that is 50% starch-based material and 50% water would be considered to have a Biobased Content=100% (50% organic content that is 100% biobased) based on ASTM D6866. In another example, a product that is 50% starch-based material, 25% petroleum-based, and 25% water would have a Biobased Content=66.7% (75% organic content but only 50% of the product is biobased). In another example, a product that is 50% organic carbon and is a petroleum-based product would be considered to have a Biobased Content=0% (50% organic carbon but from fossil sources). Thus, based on the well known methods and known standards for determining the biobased content of a compound or material, one skilled in the art can readily determine the biobased content and/or prepared downstream products that utilize provided herein having a desired biobased content.

Applications of carbon-14 dating techniques to quantify bio-based content of materials are known in the art (Currie et al., Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 172:281-287 (2000)). For example, carbon-14 dating has been used to quantify bio-based content in terephthalate-containing materials (Colonna et al., Green Chemistry, 13:2543-2548 (2011)). Notably, polypropylene terephthalate (PPT) polymers derived from renewable 1,3-propanediol and petroleum-derived terephthalic acid resulted in Fm values near 30% (i.e., since 3/11 of the polymeric carbon derives from renewable 1,3-propanediol and 8/11 from the fossil end member terephthalic acid) (Currie et al., supra, 2000). In contrast, polybutylene terephthalate polymer derived from both renewable 1,4-butanediol and renewable terephthalic acid resulted in bio-based content exceeding 90% (Colonna et al., supra, 2011).

Accordingly, in some embodiments, provided herein bioderived xylitol that has a carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14 ratio that reflects an atmospheric carbon, also referred to as environmental carbon, uptake source. For example, in some aspects the bioderived xylitol can have an Fm value of at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98% or as much as 100%. In some such embodiments, the uptake source is CO₂. In some embodiments, provided herein is bioderived xylitol that has a carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14 ratio that reflects petroleum-based carbon uptake source. In this aspect, the bioderived xylitol provided herein can have an Fm value of less than 95%, less than 90%, less than 85%, less than 80%, less than 75%, less than 70%, less than 65%, less than 60%, less than 55%, less than 50%, less than 45%, less than 40%, less than 35%, less than 30%, less than 25%, less than 20%, less than 15%, less than 10%, less than 5%, less than 2% or less than 1%. In some embodiments, bioderived xylitol provided herein can have a carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14 ratio that is obtained by a combination of an atmospheric carbon uptake source with a petroleum-based uptake source. Using such a combination of uptake sources is one way by which the carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14 ratio can be varied, and the respective ratios would reflect the proportions of the uptake sources.

Further, provided herein are also the products derived the bioderived xylitol, wherein the bioderived xylitol has a carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14 isotope ratio of about the same value as the CO₂ that occurs in the environment. For example, in some aspects, provided herein is a biobased product having the bioderived xylitol described herein with a carbon-12 versus carbon-13 versus carbon-14 isotope ratio of about the same value as the CO₂ that occurs in the environment, or any of the other ratios disclosed herein. It is understood, as disclosed herein, that a product can have a carbon-12 versus carbon-13 versus carbon-14 isotope ratio of about the same value as the CO₂ that occurs in the environment, or any of the ratios disclosed herein, wherein the product is generated from bioderived xylitol as disclosed herein, wherein the bioderived xylitol is chemically modified to generate a final product. Methods of chemically modifying bioderived xylitol to generate a desired product are well known to those skilled in the art, as described herein.

Provided herein are also biobased products having bioderived xylitol produced by a Metschnikowia species described herein or produced using a method described herein. In some embodiments, provided herein are biobased products produced using bioderived xylitol. Such manufacturing can include chemically reacting the bioderived compound (e.g. chemical conversion, chemical functionalization, chemical coupling, oxidation, reduction, polymerization, copolymerization and the like) into the final product. In some embodiments, provided herein are biobased products having bioderived xylitol described herein. In some embodiments, provided herein are biobased products having at least 2%, at least 3%, at least 5%, at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 98% or 100% bioderived xylitol as disclosed herein.

Provided herein is an isolated polypeptide directed to the xylose reductase (Xyl1 protein) of the H0 Metschnikowia sp. and an isolated nucleic acid directed to the XYL1 gene of the H0 Metschnikowia sp., as well as host cells comprising such nucleic acids. The presence of this nucleic acid in a Metschnikowia species can result in the Metschnikowia species being able to produce xylitol from xylose as described herein. Thus, provided herein is an isolated polypeptide that has the amino acid sequence of the Xyl1 protein or a variant thereof; an isolated nucleic acid that has a nucleic acid sequence that encodes the Xyl1 protein or a variant thereof; an isolated nucleic acid that has the nucleic acid sequence of the gene for XYL1; as well as a host cell having such nucleic acid sequences and/or expressing such proteins.

In some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11. Also provided herein an isolated polypeptide having an amino acid sequence that is a variant to the Xyl1 protein of the H0 Metschnikowia sp. described herein, but still retains the functional activity of the polypeptide. For example, in some embodiments, the isolated polypeptide has an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11, wherein the amino acid sequence includes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 amino acid substitutions, deletions or insertions. Variants of a protein provided herein also include, for example, deletions, fusions, or truncations when compared to the reference polypeptide sequence. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the isolated polypeptide provided herein has an amino acid sequence that is at least 95.0%, at least 95.1%, at least 95.2%, at least 95.3%, at least 95.4%, at least 95.5%, at least 95.6%, at least 95.7%, at least 95.8%, at least 95.9%, at least 96.0%, at least 96.1%, at least 96.2%, at least 96.3%, at least 96.4%, at least 96.5%, at least 96.6%, at least 96.7%, at least 96.8%, at least 96.9%, at least 97.0%, at least 97.1%, at least 97.2%, at least 97.3%, at least 97.4%, at least 97.5%, at least 97.6%, at least 97.7%, at least 97.8%, at least 97.9%, at least 98.0%, at least 98.1%, at least 98.2%, at least 98.3%, at least 98.4%, at least 98.5%, at least 98.6%, at least 98.7%, at least 98.8%, at least 98.9%, at least 99.0%, at least 99.1%, at least 99.2%, at least 99.3%, at least 99.4%, at least 99.5%, at least 99.6%, at least 99.7%, or at least 99.8% identical to SEQ ID NO: 11.

Variants of the Xyl1 protein described herein can also contain conservatively amino acids substitution, meaning that one or more amino acid can be replaced by an amino acid that does not alter the secondary and/or tertiary stricture of the protein. Such substitutions can include the replacement of an amino acid, by a residue having similar physicochemical properties, such as substituting one aliphatic residue (Ile, Val, Leu, or Ala) for another, or substitutions between basic residues Lys and Arg, acidic residues Glu and Asp, amide residues Gln and Asn, hydroxyl residues Ser and Tyr, or aromatic residues Phe and Tyr. Phenotypically silent amino acid exchanges are described more fully in Bowie et al., Science 247:1306-10 (1990). In addition, variants of a protein described herein include those having amino acid substitutions, deletions, or additions to the amino acid sequence outside functional regions of the protein so long as the substitution, deletion, or addition does not affect the function of the resulting polypeptide. Techniques for making these substitutions and deletions are well known in the art and include, for example, site-directed mutagenesis.

The isolated polypeptides provided herein also include functional fragments of the Xyl1 protein described herein, which retains its function. In some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated polypeptide that is a functional fragment of the Xyl1 protein described herein. In some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated nucleic acid that encodes a polypeptide that is a functional fragment of the Xyl1 protein described herein. In some embodiments, the isolated polypeptide can be fragments of Xyl1 (SEQ ID NO: 11), which retains the function of the protein.

In some embodiments, variants of the Xyl1 protein described herein include covalent modification or aggregative conjugation with other chemical moieties, such as glycosyl groups, polyethylene glycol (PEG) groups, lipids, phosphate, acetyl groups, and the like. In some embodiments, variants of the Xyl1 protein described herein further include, for example, fusion proteins formed of the protein described herein and another polypeptide. The added polypeptides for constructing the fusion protein include those that facilitate purification or oligomerization of the protein described herein, or those that enhance stability and/or function of the Xyl1 protein described herein.

The Xyl1 protein described herein can be fused to heterologous polypeptides to facilitate purification. Many available heterologous peptides (peptide tags) allow selective binding of the fusion protein to a binding partner. Non-limiting examples of peptide tags include 6-His, thioredoxin, hemaglutinin, GST, and the OmpA signal sequence tag. A binding partner that recognizes and binds to the heterologous peptide tags can be any molecule or compound, including metal ions (for example, metal affinity columns), antibodies, antibody fragments, or any protein or peptide that selectively or specifically binds the heterologous peptide to permit purification of the fusion protein.

The Xyl1 protein described herein can also be modified to facilitate formation of oligomers. For example, the protein described herein can be fused to peptide moieties that promote oligomerization, such as leucine zippers and certain antibody fragment polypeptides, such as Fc polypeptides. Techniques for preparing these fusion proteins are known, and are described, for example, in WO 99/31241 and in Cosman et al., Immunity 14:123-133 (2001). Fusion to an Fc polypeptide offers the additional advantage of facilitating purification by affinity chromatography over Protein A or Protein G columns. Fusion to a leucine-zipper (LZ), for example, a repetitive heptad repeat, often with four or five leucine residues interspersed with other amino acids, is described in Landschulz et al., Science 240:1759-64 (1988).

The Xyl1 protein described herein can be provided in an isolated form, or in a substantially purified form. The polypeptides can be recovered and purified from recombinant cell cultures by known methods, including, for example, ammonium sulfate or ethanol precipitation, anion or cation exchange chromatography, phosphocellulose chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, affinity chromatography, hydroxylapatite chromatography, and lectin chromatography. In some embodiments, protein chromatography is employed for purification.

In some embodiments, provided herein are recombinant microbial organisms having an exogenous nucleic acid encoding a Xyl1 protein described herein. In some embodiments, the recombinant microbial organism has an exogenous nucleic acid encoding the Xyl1 protein described herein, wherein the protein has 1 to 25, 1 to 20, 1 to 15, 1 to 10, or 1 to 5, amino acid substitutions, deletions or insertions. In some embodiments, the Xyl1 protein has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11. In some embodiments, the Xyl1 protein has 1 to 10 amino acid substitutions, deletions or insertions of SEQ ID NO: 11 and retains the function of the protein. In some embodiments, the Xyl1 protein has 1 to 5 amino acid substitutions, deletions or insertions of SEQ ID NO: 11 and retains the function of the protein. The recombinant microbial organism can be a Metschnikowia species, including, but not limited to, the H0 Metschnikowia sp. described herein.

The Xyl1 protein described herein can be recombinantly expressed by suitable hosts. When heterologous expression of the protein is desired, the coding sequences of specific genes can be modified in accordance with the codon usage of the host. The standard genetic code is well known in the art, as reviewed in, for example, Osawa et al., Microbiol Rev. 56(1):229-64 (1992). Yeast species, including but not limited to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida azyma, Candida diversa, Candida magnoliae, Candida rugopelliculosa, Yarrowia lipolytica, and Zygoascus hellenicus, use the standard code. Certain yeast species use alternative codes. For example, “CUG,” standard codon for “Leu,” encodes “Ser” in species such as Candida albicans, Candida cylindracea, Candida melibiosica, Candida parapsilosis, Candida rugose, Pichia stipitis, and Metschnikowia species. The codon table for the H0 Metschnikowia sp. is provided herein.

Furthermore, the hosts can simultaneously produce other forms of the same category of proteins such that multiple forms of the same type of protein are expressed in the same cell. For example, the hosts can simultaneously produce different xylose reductases.

Variants of the Xyl1 protein described herein can be generated by conventional methods known in the art, such as by introducing mutations at particular locations by oligonucleotide-directed site-directed mutagenesis. Site-directed-mutagenesis is considered an informational approach to protein engineering and can rely on high-resolution crystallographic structures of target proteins for specific amino acid changes (Van Den Burg et al., PNAS 95:2056-60 (1998)). Computational methods for identifying site-specific changes for a variety of protein engineering objectives are also known in the art (Hellinga, Nature Structural Biology 5:525-27 (1998)).

Other techniques known in the art include, but are not limited to, non-informational mutagenesis techniques (referred to generically as “directed evolution”). Directed evolution, in conjunction with high-throughput screening, allows testing of statistically meaningful variations in protein conformation (Arnold, 1998). Directed evolution technology can include diversification methods similar to that described by Crameri et al., Nature 391:288-91 (1998), site-saturation mutagenesis, staggered extension process (StEP) (Zhao et al., Nature Biotechnology 16:258-61 (1998)), and DNA synthesis/reassembly (U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,408).

As disclosed herein, a nucleic acid encoding an Xyl1 protein described herein can be introduced into a host organism. In some cases, it can also be desirable to modify an activity of the protein to increase production of a desired product. For example, known mutations that increase the activity of a protein can be introduced into an encoding nucleic acid molecule. Additionally, optimization methods can be applied to increase the activity of a protein and/or decrease an inhibitory activity, for example, decrease the activity of a negative regulator.

One such optimization method is directed evolution. Directed evolution is a powerful approach that involves the introduction of mutations targeted to a specific gene in order to improve and/or alter the properties of an enzyme. Improved and/or altered enzymes can be identified through the development and implementation of sensitive high-throughput screening assays that allow the automated screening of many enzyme variants (for example, >10⁴). Iterative rounds of mutagenesis and screening typically are performed to afford an enzyme with optimized properties. Computational algorithms that can help to identify areas of the gene for mutagenesis also have been developed and can significantly reduce the number of enzyme variants that need to be generated and screened. Numerous directed evolution technologies have been developed (for reviews, see Hibbert et al., Biomol. Eng 22:11-19 (2005); Huisman and Lalonde, In Biocatalysis in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries pgs. 717-742 (2007), Patel (ed.), CRC Press; Often and Quax. Biomol. Eng 22:1-9 (2005); and Sen et al., Appl Biochem. Biotechnol 143:212-223 (2007)) to be effective at creating diverse variant libraries, and these methods have been successfully applied to the improvement of a wide range of properties across many enzyme classes. Enzyme characteristics that have been improved and/or altered by directed evolution technologies include, for example: selectivity/specificity, for conversion of non-natural substrates; temperature stability, for robust high temperature processing; pH stability, for bioprocessing under lower or higher pH conditions; substrate or product tolerance, so that high product titers can be achieved; binding (K_(m)), including broadening substrate binding to include non-natural substrates; inhibition (K_(i)), to remove inhibition by products, substrates, or key intermediates; activity (kcat), to increases enzymatic reaction rates to achieve desired flux; expression levels, to increase protein yields and overall pathway flux; oxygen stability, for operation of air sensitive enzymes under aerobic conditions; and anaerobic activity, for operation of an aerobic enzyme in the absence of oxygen.

A number of exemplary methods have been developed for the mutagenesis and diversification of genes to target desired properties of specific enzymes. Such methods are well known to those skilled in the art. Any of these can be used to alter and/or optimize the activity of a protein described herein. Such methods include, but are not limited to EpPCR, which introduces random point mutations by reducing the fidelity of DNA polymerase in PCR reactions (Pritchard et al., J Theor. Biol. 234:497-509 (2005)); Error-prone Rolling Circle Amplification (epRCA), which is similar to epPCR except a whole circular plasmid is used as the template and random 6-mers with exonuclease resistant thiophosphate linkages on the last 2 nucleotides are used to amplify the plasmid followed by transformation into cells in which the plasmid is re-circularized at tandem repeats (Fujii et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 32:e145 (2004); and Fujii et al., Nat. Protoc. 1:2493-2497 (2006)); DNA or Family Shuffling, which typically involves digestion of two or more variant genes with nucleases such as Dnase I or EndoV to generate a pool of random fragments that are reassembled by cycles of annealing and extension in the presence of DNA polymerase to create a library of chimeric genes (Stemmer, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91:10747-10751 (1994); and Stemmer, Nature 370:389-391 (1994)); Staggered Extension (StEP), which entails template priming followed by repeated cycles of 2 step PCR with denaturation and very short duration of annealing/extension (as short as 5 sec) (Zhao et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 16:258-261 (1998)); Random Priming Recombination (RPR), in which random sequence primers are used to generate many short DNA fragments complementary to different segments of the template (Shao et al., Nucleic Acids Res 26:681-683 (1998)).

Additional methods include Heteroduplex Recombination, in which linearized plasmid DNA is used to form heteroduplexes that are repaired by mismatch repair (Volkov et al, Nucleic Acids Res. 27:e18 (1999); and Volkov et al., Methods Enzymol. 328:456-463 (2000)); Random Chimeragenesis on Transient Templates (RACHITT), which employs Dnase I fragmentation and size fractionation of single stranded DNA (ssDNA) (Coco et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 19:354-359 (2001)); Recombined Extension on Truncated templates (RETT), which entails template switching of unidirectionally growing strands from primers in the presence of unidirectional ssDNA fragments used as a pool of templates (Lee et al., J. Molec. Catalysis 26:119-129 (2003)); Degenerate Oligonucleotide Gene Shuffling (DOGS), in which degenerate primers are used to control recombination between molecules; (Bergquist and Gibbs, Methods Mol. Biol 352:191-204 (2007); Bergquist et al., Biomol. Eng 22:63-72 (2005); Gibbs et al., Gene 271:13-20 (2001)); Incremental Truncation for the Creation of Hybrid Enzymes (ITCHY), which creates a combinatorial library with 1 base pair deletions of a gene or gene fragment of interest (Ostermeier et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:3562-3567 (1999); and Ostermeier et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 17:1205-1209 (1999)); Thio-Incremental Truncation for the Creation of Hybrid Enzymes (THIO-ITCHY), which is similar to ITCHY except that phosphothioate dNTPs are used to generate truncations (Lutz et al., Nucleic Acids Res 29:E16 (2001)); SCRATCHY, which combines two methods for recombining genes, ITCHY and DNA shuffling (Lutz et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98:11248-11253 (2001)); Random Drift Mutagenesis (RNDM), in which mutations made via epPCR are followed by screening/selection for those retaining usable activity (Bergquist et al., Biomol. Eng. 22:63-72 (2005)); Sequence Saturation Mutagenesis (SeSaM), a random mutagenesis method that generates a pool of random length fragments using random incorporation of a phosphothioate nucleotide and cleavage, which is used as a template to extend in the presence of “universal” bases such as inosine, and replication of an inosine-containing complement gives random base incorporation and, consequently, mutagenesis (Wong et al., Biotechnol. J. 3:74-82 (2008); Wong et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 32:e26 (2004); and Wong et al., Anal. Biochem. 341:187-189 (2005)); Synthetic Shuffling, which uses overlapping oligonucleotides designed to encode “all genetic diversity in targets” and allows a very high diversity for the shuffled progeny (Ness et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 20:1251-1255 (2002)); Nucleotide Exchange and Excision Technology NexT, which exploits a combination of dUTP incorporation followed by treatment with uracil DNA glycosylase and then piperidine to perform endpoint DNA fragmentation (Muller et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 33:e117 (2005)).

Further methods include Sequence Homology-Independent Protein Recombination (SHIPREC), in which a linker is used to facilitate fusion between two distantly related or unrelated genes, and a range of chimeras is generated between the two genes, resulting in libraries of single-crossover hybrids (Sieber et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 19:456-460 (2001)); Gene Site Saturation Mutagenesis™ (GSSM™), in which the starting materials include a supercoiled double stranded DNA (dsDNA) plasmid containing an insert and two primers which are degenerate at the desired site of mutations (Kretz et al., Methods Enzymol. 388:3-11 (2004)); Combinatorial Cassette Mutagenesis (CCM), which involves the use of short oligonucleotide cassettes to replace limited regions with a large number of possible amino acid sequence alterations (Reidhaar-Olson et al. Methods Enzymol. 208:564-586 (1991); and Reidhaar-Olson et al. Science 241:53-57 (1988)); Combinatorial Multiple Cassette Mutagenesis (CMCM), which is essentially similar to CCM and uses epPCR at high mutation rate to identify hot spots and hot regions and then extension by CMCM to cover a defined region of protein sequence space (Reetz et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed Engl. 40:3589-3591 (2001)); the Mutator Strains technique, in which conditional is mutator plasmids, utilizing the mutD5 gene, which encodes a mutant subunit of DNA polymerase III, to allow increases of 20 to 4000-X in random and natural mutation frequency during selection and block accumulation of deleterious mutations when selection is not required (Selifonova et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:3645-3649 (2001)); Low et al., J. Mol. Biol. 260:359-3680 (1996)).

Additional exemplary methods include Look-Through Mutagenesis (LTM), which is a multidimensional mutagenesis method that assesses and optimizes combinatorial mutations of selected amino acids (Rajpal et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102:8466-8471 (2005)); Gene Reassembly, which is a DNA shuffling method that can be applied to multiple genes at one time or to create a large library of chimeras (multiple mutations) of a single gene (Tunable GeneReassembly™ (TGR™) Technology supplied by Verenium Corporation), in Silico Protein Design Automation (PDA), which is an optimization algorithm that anchors the structurally defined protein backbone possessing a particular fold, and searches sequence space for amino acid substitutions that can stabilize the fold and overall protein energetics, and generally works most effectively on proteins with known three-dimensional structures (Hayes et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99:15926-15931 (2002)); and Iterative Saturation Mutagenesis (ISM), which involves using knowledge of structure/function to choose a likely site for enzyme improvement, performing saturation mutagenesis at chosen site using a mutagenesis method such as Stratagene QuikChange (Stratagene; San Diego Calif.), screening/selecting for desired properties, and, using improved clone(s), starting over at another site and continue repeating until a desired activity is achieved (Reetz et al., Nat. Protoc. 2:891-903 (2007); and Reetz et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed Engl. 45:7745-7751 (2006)).

Any of the aforementioned methods for mutagenesis can be used alone or in any combination. Additionally, any one or combination of the directed evolution methods can be used in conjunction with adaptive evolution techniques, as described herein or otherwise known in the art.

Provided herein is an isolated nucleic acid having nucleic acid sequences encoding the Xyl1 protein described herein as well as the specific encoding nucleic acid sequences of the XYL1 gene described herein. Nucleic acids provided herein include those having the nucleic acid sequence provided in the sequence listing; those that hybridize to the nucleic acid sequences provided in the sequence listing, under high stringency hybridization conditions (for example, 42°, 2.5 hr., 6×SCC, 0.1% SDS); and those having substantial nucleic acid sequence identity with the nucleic acid sequence provided in the sequence listing. The nucleic acids provided herein also encompass equivalent substitutions of codons that can be translated to produce the same amino acid sequences. Provided herein are also vectors including the nucleic acids described herein. The vector can be an expression vector suitable for expression in a host microbial organism. The vector can be a viral vector.

The nucleic acids provided herein include those encoding proteins having an amino acid sequence as described herein, as well as their variants that retain their function. The nucleic acids provided herein can be cDNA, chemically synthesized DNA, DNA amplified by PCR, RNA, or combinations thereof. Due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, two DNA sequences can differ and yet encode identical amino acid sequences.

Provided herein are also useful fragments of nucleic acids encoding the proteins described herein, include probes and primers. Such probes and primers can be used, for example, in PCR methods to amplify or detect the presence of nucleic acids encoding the proteins described herein in vitro, as well as in Southern and Northern blots for analysis. Cells expressing the proteins described herein can also be identified by the use of such probes. Methods for the production and use of such primers and probes are well known.

Provided herein are also fragments of nucleic acids encoding the proteins described herein that are antisense or sense oligonucleotides having a single-stranded nucleic acid capable of binding to a target mRNA or DNA sequence of the protein or nucleic acid sequence described herein.

A nucleic acid encoding a protein described herein can include nucleic acids that hybridize to a nucleic acid disclosed herein by SEQ ID NO or a nucleic acid molecule that hybridizes to a nucleic acid molecule that encodes an amino acid sequence disclosed herein by SEQ ID NO. Hybridization conditions can include highly stringent, moderately stringent, or low stringency hybridization conditions that are well known to one of skill in the art such as those described herein.

Stringent hybridization refers to conditions under which hybridized polynucleotides are stable. As known to those of skill in the art, the stability of hybridized polynucleotides is reflected in the melting temperature (T_(m)) of the hybrids. In general, the stability of hybridized polynucleotides is a function of the salt concentration, for example, the sodium ion concentration and temperature. A hybridization reaction can be performed under conditions of lower stringency, followed by washes of varying, but higher, stringency. Reference to hybridization stringency relates to such washing conditions. Highly stringent hybridization includes conditions that permit hybridization of only those nucleic acid sequences that form stable hybridized polynucleotides in 0.018M NaCl at 65° C., for example, if a hybrid is not stable in 0.018M NaCl at 65° C., it will not be stable under high stringency conditions, as contemplated herein. High stringency conditions can be provided, for example, by hybridization in 50% formamide, 5×Denhart's solution, 5×SSPE, 0.2% SDS at 42° C., followed by washing in 0.1×SSPE, and 0.1% SDS at 65° C. Hybridization conditions other than highly stringent hybridization conditions can also be used to describe the nucleic acid sequences disclosed herein. For example, the phrase moderately stringent hybridization refers to conditions equivalent to hybridization in 50% formamide, 5×Denhart's solution, 5×SSPE, 0.2% SDS at 42° C., followed by washing in 0.2×SSPE, 0.2% SDS, at 42° C. The phrase low stringency hybridization refers to conditions equivalent to hybridization in 10% formamide, 5×Denhart's solution, 6×SSPE, 0.2% SDS at 22° C., followed by washing in 1×SSPE, 0.2% SDS, at 37° C. Denhart's solution contains 1% Ficoll, 1% polyvinylpyrolidone, and 1% bovine serum albumin (BSA). 20×SSPE (sodium chloride, sodium phosphate, ethylene diamide tetraacetic acid (EDTA)) contains 3M sodium chloride, 0.2M sodium phosphate, and 0.025 M (EDTA). Other suitable low, moderate and high stringency hybridization buffers and conditions are well known to those of skill in the art and are described, for example, in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Third Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York (2001); and Ausubel et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley and Sons, Baltimore, Md. (1999).

Nucleic acids encoding a protein provided herein include those having a certain percent sequence identity to a nucleic acid sequence disclosed herein by SEQ ID NO. For example, a nucleic acid molecule can have at least 95.0%, at least 95.1%, at least 95.2%, at least 95.3%, at least 95.4%, at least 95.5%, at least 95.6%, at least 95.7%, at least 95.8%, at least 95.9%, at least 96.0%, at least 96.1%, at least 96.2%, at least 96.3%, at least 96.4%, at least 96.5%, at least 96.6%, at least 96.7%, at least 96.8%, at least 96.9%, at least 97.0%, at least 97.1%, at least 97.2%, at least 97.3%, at least 97.4%, at least 97.5%, at least 97.6%, at least 97.7%, at least 97.8%, at least 97.9%, at least 98.0%, at least 98.1%, at least 98.2%, at least 98.3%, at least 98.4%, at least 98.5%, at least 98.6%, at least 98.7%, at least 98.8%, at least 98.9%, at least 99.0%, at least 99.1%, at least 99.2%, at least 99.3%, at least 99.4%, at least 99.5%, at least 99.6%, at least 99.7%, or at least 99.8% sequence identity, or be identical, to a sequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 11.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the isolated nucleic acid provided herein has a nucleic acid sequence of the XYL1 gene of the H0 Metschnikowia sp. disclosed herein. Accordingly, in some embodiments, provided herein is an isolated nucleic acid having a nucleic acid sequence of XYL1 (SEQ ID NO: 11).

Also provided herein is a method of expressing a polypeptide in a Metschnikowia species (e.g., H0 Metschnikowia sp.), wherein the polypeptide comprises a leucine (Leu; L). Such a method includes introducing an exogenous nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide into the Metschnikowia species under conditions that allow expression of the polypeptide, wherein the exogenous nucleic acid sequence has a CTT, CTG, CTA, TTA or TTG codon in place of a CTG codon for the leucine, as exemplified herein. In a particular embodiment, the codon in place of the CTG codon is TTG. Methods for making such modifications to encoding nucleic acid sequences are well known in the art.

Also provided herein is a method for introducing exogenous nucleic acids into a Metschnikowia species (e.g., H0 Metschnikowia sp.). Such a method is a modified lithium acetate protocol or electroporation protocol as exemplified in Example I.

It is understood that modifications which do not substantially affect the activity of the various embodiments of this invention are also provided within the definition of the invention provided herein. Accordingly, the following examples are intended to illustrate but not limit the present invention. Throughout this application various publications have been referenced. The disclosures of these publications in their entireties, including GenBank and GI number publications, are hereby incorporated by reference in this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

Example I Production of Xylitol from Xylose of H0 Metschnikowia sp.

This example demonstrates that the H0 Metschnikowia sp. produces xylitol from xylose when cultured in YEP medium containing xylose.

The production of xylitol from xylose was assayed for the H0 Metschnikowia sp. in yeast extract peptone (YEP) medium supplemented with 4% w/v or 10% w/v xylose. As a control, S. cerevisiae wine yeast M2 was also assayed.

H0 Metschnikowia sp. cells were inoculated into 50 ml of YEP+4% w/v or 10% w/v xylose medium in a 125 ml flask and grown at 30° C. incubator with shaking at 120 rpm. A 1 ml sample was taken from the culture and cells were removed by centrifugation. The supernatant was filtrated through a 0.22 μm nylon syringe filter into a HPLC sample vial. The xylitol content in the supernatant was analyzed by HPLC on Rezex RPM-monosaccharide Pb+2 column (Phenomenex) at 80° C. using water as a mobile phase at a rate of 0.6 ml/min. The peaks were detected with an Agilent G1362A refractive index detector (Agilent).

The H0 Metschnikowia sp. produced xylitol via a xylose dependent pathway. For example, in 4% xylose medium, the H0 Metschnikowia sp. produced approximately 13.8 g/L of xylitol from 40 g/L of xylose in 5 days, whereas in 10% xylose it produced approximately 23 g/L of xylitol from 100 g/L of xylose in 10 days (FIG. 1). When xylose was used up, the H0 Metschnikowia sp. started to consume the xylitol in the medium (FIG. 1). In both mediums, the S. cerevisiae M2 species produced no xylitol (FIG. 1).

Example II Construction of Recombinant Metschnikowia Species Having Xylitol Pathway

In order to increase the yield and productivity of xylitol by the H0 Metschnikowia sp. as exemplified in Example I, a xylitol production pathway was modified in the H0 Metschnikowia sp. genome. The modification included deleting the XYL2 gene (SEQ ID NO: 6), which encoded a xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH; SEQ ID NO: 1), and overexpressing the XYL1 gene (SEQ ID NO: 19), which encoded a xylose reductase (XR; SEQ ID NO: 11) and, in some experiments, overexpressing a xylose transporter (GXF1; SEQ ID NO: 42, or GXF2 SEQ ID NO: 44) (FIG. 2). A co-substrate was supplied to support the cell's metabolism and supply redox balance for xylose reductase (FIG. 2).

Usable antifungal resistance genes, as selection markers for gene manipulation, needed to be identified in order to engineer the xylitol pathway in the H0 Metschnikowia sp. First, the sensitivity of the H0 Metschnikowia sp. to various known antifungals was tested. A single yeast colony was inoculated into 5 ml YPD broth containing different concentrations of antibiotics (50 ug/mL, 100 ug/mL, 150 ug/mL, 200 ug/mL, 250 ug/mL, 300 ug/mL, 350 ug/mL, 400 ug/mL, 450 ug/mL). Cultures were aerobically grown at 30° C. for 2 days, and the growth was monitored by assaying optical density of culture at 600 nm. H0 Metschnikowia sp. was determined to be sensitive to 100 ug/mL nourseothricin (cloNAT), 300 ug/mL hygromycin, 200 ug/mL phleomycin, and 400 ug/ml geneticin, respectively.

Based on this sensitivity profile, genes that are known to provide resistance in S. cerevisiae were introduced into the H0 Metschnikowia sp.—natMX and hphMX genes, which generally provide resistance to nourseothricin and hygromycin, respectively. However, introduction of the natMX and hphMX genes resulted in no viable colonies. It was hypothesized that H0 Metschnikowia sp. might belong to the fungal CTG clade species, in which the universal leucine CUG codon is predominantly translated as serine and rarely as leucine (Santos et al., 2011, C. R. Bio., 334:607-611), just like the closely related species, C. lusitaniae (Young et al., 2000, Genetics, 155:17-29). The CTG codon was changed to TTG for leucine encoding (see Table 4) and other codons were optimized based on a codon preference calculated from multiple H0 Metschnikowia sp. open reading frames as the total genome annotation for the H0 Metschnikowia sp. is not available.

TABLE 4 Codons for H0 Metschnikowia sp. Amino Acid SLC DNA codons Isoleucine I ATT ATC ATA Leucine L CTT CTC CTA TTA TTG Valine V GTT GTC GTA GTG Phenylalanine F TTT TTC Methionine M ATG Cysteine C TGT TGC Alanine A GCT GCC GCA GCG Glycine G GGT GGC GGA GGG Proline P CCT CCC CCA CCG Threonine T ACT ACC ACA ACG Serine S TCT TCC TCA TCG AGT AGC CTG Tyrosine Y TAT TAC Tryptophan W TGG Glutamine O CAA CAG Asparagine N AAT AAC Histidine H CAT CAC Glutamic acid E GAA GAG Aspartic acid D GAT GAC Lysine K AAA AAG Arginine R CGT CGC CGA CGG AGA AGG Stop codons Stop TAA TAG TGA

Codon optimized antibiotics gene sequence were as follows:

MeNAT: (SEQ ID NO: 55) ATGGGTACCACCTTGGACGACACCGCCTACAGATACAGAACCTCCGTCCC AGGTGACGCCGAGGCCATCGAGGCCTTGGACGGTTCCTTCACCACCGACA CCGTCTTCAGAGTCACCGCCACCGGTGACGGTTTCACCTTGAGAGAGGTC CCAGTGGACCCACCATTGACCAAGGTCTTCCCAGACGACGAGTCCGACGA CGAGTCCGACGACGGTGAGGACGGTGACCCAGACTCCAGAACCTTCGTCG CCTACGGTGACGACGGTGACTTGGCCGGTTTCGTGGTCGTCTCCTACTCC GGTTGGAACAGAAGATTGACCGTCGAGGACATCGAGGTCGCCCCAGAGCA CAGAGGTCACGGTGTCGGTAGAGCCTTGATGGGTTTGGCCACCGAGTTCG CCAGAGAGAGAGGTGCCGGTCACTTGTGGTTGGAGGTCACCAACGTCAAC GCCCCAGCCATCCACGCCTACAGAAGAATGGGTTTCACCTTGTGCGGTTT GGACACTGCCTTGTACGACGGCACCGCCTCTGACGGTGAGCAGGCTTTGT ACATGTCCATGCCATGTCCATAA MeHPH: (SEQ ID NO: 56) ATGGGTACCAAGAAGCCTGAGTTGACCACTACTTCTGTTGAGAAGTTCTT GATCGAAAAGTTCGACTCTGTTTCTGACTTGATGCAGTTGTCCGAGGGTG AGGAGTCCAGAGCTTTCTCCTTCGACGTTGGTGGTAGAGGTTACGTCTTG AGAGTCAACTCCTGTGCCGACGGTTTCTACAAGGACAGATACGTCTACAG ACACTTCGCCTCCGCTGCTTTGCCAATCCCAGAGGTCTTGGACATCGGTG AGTTCTCTGAGTCTTTGACCTACTGTATCTCCAGAAGAGCCCAGGGTGTC ACCTTGCAGGACTTGCCAGAGACCGAGTTGCCAGCCGTCTTGCAGCCAGT CGCTGAGGCTATGGACGCTATCGCTGCTGCCGACTTGTCTCAGACTTCTG GTTTCGGTCAATTCGGTCCACAGGGTATCGGTCAGTACACCACTTGGAGA GACTTCATCTGTGCCATCGCCGACCCACACGTCTACCACTGGCAGACCGT TATGGACGACACCGTTTCTGCCTCTGTTGCCCAGGCTTTGGACGAGTTGA TGTTGTGGGCTGAGGACTGTCCAGAGGTTAGACACTTGGTTCACGCTGAC TTCGGTTCCAACAACGTCTTGACCGACAACGGTAGAATCACCGCTGTCAT CGACTGGTCTGAGGCTATGTTCGGTGACTCCCAGTACGAGGTCGCCAACA TCTTCTTCTGGAGACCTTGGTTGGCCTGTATGGAGCAGCAGACCAGATAC TTCGAGAGAAGACACCCAGAGTTGGCTGGTTCTCCAAGATTGAGAGCTTA CATGTTGAGAATCGGTTTGGACCAGTTGTACCAGTCCTTGGTTGACGGTA ACTTCGACGACGCTGCCTGGGCTCAGGGTAGATGTGACGCTATCGTCAGA TCTGGTGCTGGCACCGTTGGTAGAACCCAGATCGCTAGAAGATCCGCTGC TGTCTGGACCGACGGTTGTGTCGAGGTTTTGGCTGACTCTGGTAACAGAA GACCATCCACCAGACCAAGAGCCAAGGAGTAA MeKAN: (SEQ ID NO: 57) ATGGGTACCAAGGAAAAGACTCACGTTTCGAGACCAAGATTGAACTCCAA CATGGATGCTGATTTGTACGGTTACAAATGGGCTAGAGATAACGTCGGTC AATCTGGTGCGACTATCTACAGACTTTACGGCAAGCCCGATGCGCCAGAG TTGTTCTTGAAGCATGGCAAAGGTTCCGTTGCCAACGACGTTACCGATGA GATGGTCAGACTTAACTGGTTGACGGAATTTATGCCTCTTCCTACCATCA AGCACTTCATCCGTACTCCTGATGACGCCTGGTTGCTCACCACTGCGATC CCAGGCAAAACCGCTTTCCAGGTCTTGGAGGAATACCCTGATTCTGGTGA GAACATTGTTGACGCGTTGGCCGTGTTCTTGCGTAGATTGCACTCGATTC CTGTTTGTAACTGTCCTTTCAACTCCGACCGTGTGTTCAGACTCGCTCAG GCCCAATCCAGAATGAACAACGGTTTGGTTGACGCGTCTGACTTTGATGA CGAGCGTAACGGCTGGCCTGTTGAGCAGGTCTGGAAAGAGATGCACAAGC TCTTGCCATTCTCTCCAGATTCCGTCGTTACTCACGGTGATTTCTCTCTT GACAACCTTATTTTCGACGAGGGTAAGTTGATCGGTTGTATTGATGTTGG TAGAGTCGGTATCGCTGACAGATACCAGGATCTTGCCATCCTCTGGAACT GCCTCGGTGAGTTCTCTCCTTCCTTGCAGAAGAGACTTTTCCAGAAGTAC GGTATTGATAACCCTGATATGAACAAGTTGCAGTTCCACTTGATGCTCGA CGAGTTCTTTTGA MeBLE: (SEQ ID NO: 58) ATGGGTACCGCCGACCAAGCGACGCCCAACTTGCCATCCAGAGATTTCGA TTCCACGGCTGCCTTCTACGAAAGATTGGGCTTCGGTATCGTTTTCAGAG ACGCCGGTTGGATGATCCTCCAGAGAGGTGATCTCAAGTTGGAGTTCTTC GCCCACCCAGGTCTCGATCCACTCGCTTCCTGGTTCAGCTGCTGTTTGAG ATTGGACGACCTCGCGGAGTTCTACAGACAGTGCAAATCCGTCGGCATCC AGGAAACCAGCAGCGGTTACCCAAGAATCCACGCTCCAGAGTTGCAGGAG TGGGGTGGCACGATGGCCGCTTTGGTTGACCCAGACGGTACGCTCTTGCG TTTGATCCAGAACGAGTTGCTTGCTGGCATCTCCTGA

Using a modified lithium acetate protocol (discussed below), the new anti-nourseothricin gene (named MeNAT, representing Metschnikowia natMX4) under the control of PGK1, ADH1 and TEF promoters and PGK1 terminator (FIG. 3) was successfully transformed into the H0 Metschnikowia sp. with high efficiency and resulted in nourseothricin resistant colonies. With the same protocol, the codon optimized anti-hygromycin gene (MeHPH), anti-geneticin gene (MeKAN), and anti-phleomycin gene (MeBLE) under the control of different promoters and terminators (FIG. 3) were also successfully generated and transformed into the H0 Metschnikowia sp. and resulted in corresponding resistant colonies. The marker gene expression cassettes were flanked by H0 Metschnikowia sp. gene sequences for specific genome integration by homologous recombination (FIG. 3). The length of flanking sequence affected the integration efficiency. At least 200 base nucleotides are required for homologous recombination in the H0 Metschnikowia sp.

In order to transform the H0 Metschnikowia sp., a modified lithium acetate protocol and electroporation protocol were developed. The modified lithium acetate protocol includes the following steps:

-   -   1. Inoculate a single colony to YPD broth, grow overnight at 30°         C.     -   2. Dilute yeast cells to OD₆₀₀=0.4 in YPD and grow for another         two generations till OD₆₀₀=1.5-1.8 (5 to 6 hours).     -   3. For each transformation, collect 5 to 10 OD cells and         resuspend them in 200 μl of pre-treatment solution (0.1 M         lithium acetate, 1×TE pH7.5, and 10 mM DTT). Incubate cells at         30° C. for 1 h with shaking.     -   4. Collect cells by centrifugation @ 13000 rpm for 1.5 min. Wash         cells in 500 μl cold sterile water and collect cells by         centrifugation @ 13000 rpm for 1.5 min. Cells are now ready for         transformation and can be stored at 4° C. for a few hours.     -   5. For each transformation, prepare following mix and add to the         cells:         -   50% PEG: 240 μl         -   1 M lithium acetate: 36 μl         -   To be transformed DNA: 1-4 μg         -   10 mg/ml sperm DNA 10 μl         -   Add sterile H₂O to: 360 μl     -   6. Mix cells vigorously by vortexing for 1 min.     -   7. Incubate cells at 30° C. for 30 min without shaking.     -   8. Heat shock cells at 42° C. for 20-25 min.     -   9. Collect cells and resuspend them in 1 ml YPD broth.     -   10. Incubate cells at 30° C. for 1 h with shaking (followed by         step 11 to 14) or incubate cells at 30° C. for 6 h with shaking,         collect cells, resuspend them in 200 μl dH₂O, and plate 100 μl         of cells directly in selective plates and incubate at 30° C. for         2 to 3 days.     -   11. Collect cells and resuspend in 200 μl dH₂O.     -   12. Plate 100 μl of cells in YPD plate, and incubate overnight         at 30° C. (Save the remaining 100 μl of cells at 4° C. for the         second time plating if necessary)     -   13. Replica plate cells onto selective plates.     -   14. Incubate at 30° C. for 2 to 3 days.     -   15. The selective plates can be YPD+100 ug/mL nourseothricin         (cloNAT), or 300 ug/mL hygromycin, or 200 ug/mL phleomycin, or         400 ug/ml geneticin, or the combination of these antibiotics if         multiple antibiotics gene cassettes were transformed.

The electroporation protocol includes the following steps:

-   -   1. Inoculate a single colony to YPD broth, grow overnight at 30°         C.     -   2. Dilute yeast cells to OD₆₀₀=0.4 in YPD and grow for another         two generations till OD₆₀₀=1.5-1.8 (5 to 6 hours).     -   3. Collect 5 to 10 OD cells, wash with water and treat cells         with 200 μl of LiAC-TE-DTT solution (0.1 M lithium acetate, 1×TE         pH7.5, and 10 mM DTT). Incubate cells at 30° C. for 1 h with         shaking.     -   4. Wash cells with 200 μl of 1M cold sorbitol and resuspend them         in 50 μl of 1M cold sorbitol.     -   5. Mix cells with 5 μl DNA (1-3 μg)     -   6. Add the mixture to the bottom of 0.2 cm chilled         electroporation cuvette. Electroporate cells at 1.8 kV, 25 μF,         200Ω.     -   7. Immediately add 1 ml of cold YPD broth containing 1 M         sorbitol. Recover 1 h at 30° C.     -   8. Collect cells and resuspend them in 200 μl 1 M sorbitol.     -   9. Plate 100 μl of cells in YPD agar plate, and incubate the         plate overnight at 30° C. (Save the remaining 100 μl of cells at         4° C. for the second time plating if necessary)     -   10. Replica cells to selective plates and incubate at 30° C. for         2 to 3 days.

Next, deletion of the XYL2 gene was performed. An exemplary deletion strategy is shown in FIG. 4. Briefly, the first 309 nt of the XYL2 open readying frame (ORF) was replaced by an antifungal resistance gene cassette flanked by sequences homologous to the XYL2 upstream and downstream sequences.

Then, overexpression of the XYL1 gene was introduced into the xyl2 deletion strain. The xylose reductase gene (XYL1) ORF from H0 Metschnikowia sp. (SEQ ID NO: 19) was linked to the PGK1 promoter and terminator. This XYL1 expression cassette was inserted into XYL2 deletion cassette discussed above (FIG. 5).

All the H0 Metschnikowia sp. gene sequences were amplified from the H0 Metschnikowia sp. yeast genome DNA by PCR using Q5 high fidelity DNA polymerase from New England Biolabs. The primers were designed by sequence homology search with the whole-genome shotgun contigs of M. fructicola 277 (ANFW01000000) and the whole-genome shotgun contigs of H0 Metschnikowia sp. Sequences amplified from the genome of the H0 Metschnikowia sp. and used for deletion and overexpression cassette construction discussed above and shown in FIGS. 3-5 were as follows:

XYL2up: (SEQ ID NO: 59) ACCGGATGCACACGAAAGGAGTATGTGCCAGCGAAGCAACAACGCCAAGT GTCACGGATGACGAGTATGACGATGAAACAGACGTGGAGAACTGTAATGG AGGGGAACCTGAATCAAGAGTGAGACAATACAGAACATGTGCAGATGATA TTTTAAGTGTTCAGAGCCTTGACTAAAGCAGTTGATTCAAGACGTATAGT ACCTTTGAAGTACCTATATAAAAGTAATAAGAGGTACTCGGCACACGTTG ACCAATCTTATGTTTTGGCATGACTACGATGTACCGTAGAGTGTTCAATT TGATGTTTAGATCAATCTATTAGCGACTGCGGAAAGTAAGGGAGAGCCCT AAGAACTGAATCCCCGCATTGCCGGCGTCGACCGCAGTGAAACCAACGTA AGTCTATTATGTCGAATGTGAACAACGAGCCAAGTGCATAGATTGGGTCT CCCCGCGACGCACAAGCGGAGACTCCGGAGAGTCACACATGTGGCTGAGA CGGCAAAAAGTGGGCTGATTCAAGAGCAACGCATTCCAAAACATCAGATT TTCACAAGCTTTGAATAAATTTTTATTCGCCTGACAATTACGAGCGTACT GCGGCGATGTAAGTGAATCGGATGCCCCCCATTTGTTTCATGCGCAGCCG CAATATAATAAAAAAAAAGGGGCCGATCTATGACGTAATGGCTATTTCAG CGCTTTTATTCGAGATCTGAAGCTCGTCACTTGCTGAAGTTCGTAATATA TTCTAACACAAATAAATTCCGACGTGGCGCATGAAACTGAGTTTATGAGG GTCAAGCAGGATAAGAATTTACGAAAGGCTTAACGCGTGCGTTATGAACT GAATAACCTTCGTGTCAACAACAAACTGGGGTTTCCCCGCGCTGAGTTTT CCCGAGAATCATTGCTGCGCGAAGACTCCGACACTCTGCAGTATGCGTGG GATGCTATAAATTATGGACGACGACGTATTCCACTTTTTTTCCTTTTCTT TAATCAGCCGACACCATATCCGAAA XYL2N: (SEQ ID NO: 60) ATGCCTGCTAACCCATCCTTGGTTTTGAACAAAGTGAACGACATCACGTT CGAGAACTACGAGGTTCCGTTACTCACAGACCCCAACGATGTATTGGTTC AGGTGAAAAAGACTGGAATCTGTGGATCTGACATCCACTACTACACCCAC GGCAGAATTGGCGACTTCGTGTTGACAAAGCCAATGGTTTTGGGCCACGA XYL2 C: (SEQ ID NO: 61) AGTGGCCACTACAACTTGTGCCCACACATGTGTTTTGCCGCCACGCCCAA CTCTAACCCCGACGAGCCAAACCCGCCAGGGACTTTGTGCAAATATTACA AGTCCCCAGCGGACTTCTTGGTGAAATTGCCTGAGCACGTCTCCCTTGAG TTGGGCGCTATGGTCGAGCCTTTGACTGTCGGTGTGCACGCCTCGCGTTT GGGCCGTGTCACTTTTGGTGACCACGTTGTGGTTTTCGGTGCTGGCCCAG TCGGTATCCTTGCGGCTGCCGTGGCCAGAAAGTTTGGCGCTGCCAGCGTG ACTATCGTCGACATCTTCGACAGCAAATTGGAATTGGCCAAGTCCATTGG CGCGGCCACTCACACATTCAACTCAATGACTGAGGGTGTTCTTTCGGAGG CTTTGCCCGCGGGCGTGAGACCTGACGTTGTATTGGAGTGCACTGGAGCA GAGATCTGTGTGCAGCAAGGTGTACTTGCGTTGAAGGCTGGTGGCCGCCA CGTGCAAGTTGGAAATGCCGGCTCCTATCTCAAATTCCCCATCACCGAAT TTGTTACCAAGGAGTTGACTCTCTTTGGATCCTTCCGTTACGGTTACAAC GACTACAAGACGTCGGTCGCCATCTTGGACGAGAATTACAAGAACGGGAA GGAGAATGCGTTGGTGGACTTTGAAGCCTTGATTACTCACCGTTTCCCCT TCAAGAATGCCATTGAGGCTTACGACGCGGTGCGCGCTGGCGACGGAGCT GTCAAGTGTATCATTGACGGCCCAGAGTAA XYL2C′: (SEQ ID NO: 62) CCTTCCGTTACGGTTACAACGACTACAAGACGTCGGTCGCCATCTTGGAC GAGAATTACAAGAACGGGAAGGAGAATGCGTTGGTGGACTTTGAAGCCTT GATTACTCACCGTTTCCCCTTCAAGAATGCCATTGAGGCTTACGACGCGG TGCGCGCTGGCGACGGAGCTGTCAAGTGTATCATTGACGGCCCAGAGTAA XYL2 d: (SEQ ID NO: 63) CGATGAAATAAAAAGATAATACTTGCTCTTACTCCATTTATAGACTAATG TACGCTGCTTCACGATAGTTTTCCTCACGATAGTTTATTTAGGCTCGTCG AGTCTCGCCGTCTCGCATGCTCATGAGATCGTTGGCGAGCTCTCTTTCTT GTCTGCTCCGGCCATTCATGGTGGAGGCTATTGAATTTTCAAACTTTGAC AGTGATGAGTGCCTACCGAAGGTTGCATATTGGTAAGGCACATCGTGCGT GTATGAGCTTGCCGGATACTGCATGAGAAATGATGCTGGGACCGCAGAAT TCAGCAAGTTTGCCAGCGATGTGCTTGTCAGTTTCGCCTCCATCACGTCA TTCGTAGTGGACGCAATAGCGCTTGAAGACTGCGTTGGCCGAACCAGTCT GCTTCCATCAGCGTGAATCTTGTTCAGCATACCCGACAACATCTTCGTCT TGTATTTGATGTACTTCAAAATTCTGAGATACTTCAAGTCCTCGTCTAGA TTCTCGTCATCCCAATCGATATCGGTACTCTCTGCATCTTCGACATCGGA CTC XYL1: (SEQ ID NO: 64) ATGCCCCAAGTGGGGTTTGGGTGCTGGAAAGTAACTAACAGTACATGTGC TGATACGATCTACAACGCGATCAAAGTTGGCTACAGATTATTTGATGGCG CTGAAGATTACGGGAACGAGAAAGAGGTGGGCGAAGGAATCAACAGGGCC ATTGACGAAGGCTTGGTGGCACGTGACGAGTTGTTCGTGGTGTCCAAGCT CTGGAACAACTTCCATCATCCAGACAACGTCGAGAAGGCGTTGGACAAGA CTTTGGGCGACTTGAATGTCGAGTACTTGGACTTGTTCTTGATCCATTTC CCAATTGCGTTCAAATTCGTGCCCTTTGAGGAGAAATACCCGCCCGGCTT CTACTGTGGAGAAGGCGATAAGTTTATCTACGAGGATGTGCCTTTGCTTG ACACGTGGCGGGCATTGGAGAAGTTTGTGAAGAAGGGTAAGATCAGATCC ATCGGAATCTCGAACTTTTCCGGCGCGTTGATCCAGGACTTGCTCAGGGG CGCCGAGATCCCCCCTGCCGTGTTGCAGATTGAGCACCACCCATACTTGC AGCAGCCCAGATTGATTGAGTATGTGCAGTCCAAGGGTATTGCCATCACA GCCTACTCCTCTTTTGGCCCACAGTCGTTTGTGGAGTTGGACCACCCCAA GGTCAAGGAGTGTGTCACGCTTTTCGAGCACGAAGACATTGTTTCCATCG CTAAAGCTCACGACAAGTCCGCGGGCCAGGTATTATTGAGGTGGGCCACG CAAAGGGGTCTTGCCGTGATTCCAAAGTCAAACAAAACCGAGCGTTTGTT GCTGAATTTGAATGTGAACGATTTTGATCTCTCTGAAGCAGAATTGGAGC AAATCGCAAAGTTGGACGTGGGCTTGCGCTTCAACAACCCTTGGGACTGG GACAAGATTCCAATCTTCCACTAA ADH1 promotor: (SEQ ID NO: 65) TTGTCTTGTAAAGAGTCTTCGGTCATTTTTACGCCGAATCGGCCTCTGGT GTACAGGTGTAATGTAAGCAGAAAGATGTAGATAATACATAGCGTCAACG GTTCTATCGAGTCAGGATTGACTGCGGGGCCAAATGTGGGGTATCACGTG TCGATGGAAACTGTCAACAAAAGATGAATTTTTTTTTGATCGTCAACGCT GCTCTAAGCGTGAATCAAGGATATGCGCTTATGGGGACGTGCGATCCGCG CCGCATTCACCCGAAGAACGTGCTCTCGATCGATCACCCGGCGCCGCGCA CGGCCCAATCGAGAAAGAGGGACCTCGGAGATAAGCACCCCCTTTCTCGA AGTATGTACATATTATTTACAGCGAAATCACAAAGGCCAAGTCTACTCTC TATCACAATGATTATTTGCACGCTAGAAGTTTGCCGCCCCTCTTTCCTCA TTCAAAGCTGTTTCAGAAATGCACTCGTAAGCGCATGTTCGTATCGGCAT CGCAGGCTCAAATGCCCAGGAGCCGCCCGCGCAGCCCCATAAACCCATTT CAGGCATATGCGCCTAGTGGCCCGCAGCGTGCGCGAGCACCGAACATCAC CCCACAGCAATGTATAAAACCCGAACAATATAAAAGCGATCCACATCGCT CGGTAATGCGTCCGTTCTTTCGTTCATCAGTATCACTTGCATTCACTTCA CGAATCCGAGCTACAAACATCATCGCAATCAGAAA PGK1 promoter: (SEQ ID NO: 66) ATGTTCTGGGTGTTTCTGGTTTGGAGACTGGCTCAGAGATAAAGCAACCG GGTGAATAGAGATACAGTTTATTTGAGGCGGAAAGAGATCATCAGGCATA CAAAATGCGTTTCGAGAATAAAGTTTTGTTGGAATGCCTTTATGCGTGAT GTTGATGTGGGGATCTGTAAAGCAACTTGACCTGCAATTGCATTGCATGG GCCCGGTCGTGCTCATTTGTTGGTATGCGCTTATCCGGGCAACCACGTTG TTGAAAAGCGCGGATGGGCCGGAGTACTCACAGCAAGGGCAATCGACCAC ATTTATTCTTAGCGCCCATAGTTCAGGCGTCCGGAGTCATCAGCGGATGG TATCTGTTGAAAATAAAGTCTCCTAGAGTTTTTAATGTAATTACTTGCGT TTTCGATTTTTGTAGAAAGTTTTGGAGTTTGTGGGACTGAACTCAGGCCC AATGCGATTTCCGAATCTGGAGAAACGTAGTCGATATGCGATTAGGGGTA ACAAAAAGATTTCATAGTCACACAAAGATCAATTCGACAGTATTTTGCAG TGATTGCATTGAAGGCCATAATATCATTGCAAATAGTGTCTATTTGGGCC CATTGGTGAATTCTGTCTGTGTTGAGTCATTCAAGACACAGCAATCAATT CGATTGCAGTCTCGCAGGTGGTGTGGTTGTGGTGCGACTTGAAAAACCCG GAGGATGGTAATCCGCCGAGAATGAACTCCGAGCGAAAACCCGTCAGACA TATATAAACCCTCACAGTGCGCACTACTCGCCTGGAAAAATTAGAATTCG TTTCTATCAATTCATCTCCATTTGATATCAATTGATTCGCATACTAAAAT CTATAACTA PGK1 terminator: (SEQ ID NO: 67) GTAGTTCGATAAGTTTGACACTTACCGATTGAATACACATTTTAATCTAT GACTTTCATGTTTATTATGTATATTGAGGTCCAAAGCGTGTAAAAGGGCG GAGACATGTTCACAACTTAGCGGCTCCACTCATGATTTTGGTCCACGACT CTTCAGTCAATTCTTCATACCTGTTCTTGTTCAACCAGTAGATCAACTCT TTGCCGTCATCGCCCTTTGGTAACTTTTGATTCTTGAACTGATTTTTTGG CACCTTGTGATTGTGAGATGCTTGTATGTATTG

The TEF promoter and terminator sequence was amplified from the plasmid pUG6 (Güldener et al., 1996, Nucleic Acids res., 24:2519-2524).

Example III Production of Xylitol from Xylose by Recombinant Metschnikowia Species Using Cellobiose as a Co-Substrate

This example demonstrates that recombinant Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway increases production of xylitol from xylose when cultured with xylose and cellobiose.

The xylitol dehydrogenase inactivated strain cannot grow in the media with xylose as the sole carbon source (data not shown). Therefore several different co-substrates were screened and cellobiose was found to work well as a co-substrate (data not shown).

The wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp., xyl2 deletion strain, and xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression strain were pre-grown in YPD at 30° C. until OD₆₀₀=˜10. Cells (120 OD) were collected and re-inoculated in 6 ml of xylose plus cellobiose media solution in a 15 ml test tube and incubated at 30° C. on a rotator with a speed of 150 rpm/min. The medium contained 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% (w/v) xylose plus half the amount of cellubiose, respectively. A 600 μL of sample was taken each time for analyses and yeast cells were removed by centrifugation. The supernatant was filtered using a 2 μm syringe filter and 4 μl was analyzed by HPLC to quantify xylose, cellobiose and xylitol.

All three strains consumed some xylose, but the xyl2 deletion strain (xyl2Δ/xyl2Δ) consumed the least amount of xylose and overexpression of XYL1 together with xyl2 deletion (xyl2Δ::XYL1↑/xyl2Δ::XYL1↑) made the H0 Metschnikowia sp. consume xylose most efficiently in 8% xylose and 4% cellobiose (FIG. 6A).

For the wild type H0 Metschnikowia sp., the xylitol concentration increased and then decreased along the time course, which is evidence that it converted xylose to xylitol by xylose reductase, and simultaneously dehydrogenated xylitol to xylulose by xylitol dehydrogenase (FIG. 6B). The maximum amount of xylitol produced by the H0 Metschnikowia sp. wild type yeast was 1.45% from 4% xylose in 3 days, 2.76% from 6% xylose in 4 days, 4.23% from 8% xylose in 5 days and 5.63% from 10% in 6 days (FIGS. 6A and 6B). The maximum amount of xylitol produced by xyl2 deletion strain in 8 days was 4% from 4% xylose, 4.4% from 6% xylose, 2.35% from 8% xylose and 1.25% from 10% xylose, while the maximum amount of xylitol produced by overexpression of XYL1 together with xyl2 deletion strain in 8 days was 4% from 4% xylose, 6% from 6% xylose, 8% from 8% xylose and 5.1% from 10% xylose.

Without being bound by theory, too high of a concentration of xylose appeared to inhibit the production of xylitol from xylose. For example, the xyl2 deletion strain converted all of the xylose to xylitol in 4% xylose media, but only converted 4.4% from 6% xylose, 2.35% from 8% xylose and 1.25% from 10% xylose into xylitol (FIGS. 6A and 6B). Also, overexpression of XYL1 together with xyl2 deletion produced 79.5 g/L xylitol from 80 g/L xylose in 6 days, so the conversion rate was 0.99 g xylitol/g xylose and the volumetric productivity was 0.55 g/L/h (FIG. 6B). However, in 10% xylose media, the same strain only converted half amount of xylose into xylitol (5.1%) in 6 days. Thus, overexpression of XYL1 together with xyl2 deletion made the H0 Metschnikowia sp. work well in xylitol production in up to 8% xylose using cellobiose as a co-substrate (FIG. 6B).

Cellobiose metabolism was suppressed in the wild type H0 Metschnikowia sp., but was utilized by the other recombinant H0 Metschnikowia sp. strains to support the activity of xylose reductase (FIG. 6C). The leftover cellobiose in the media indicates the cellobiose that was added was too much.

The cellobiose to xylose ratio was reduce from 1:2 to 1:3 and 1:4 and found that 1:3 (2.4% cellobiose in 8% xylose) worked better. These experiments were repeated in 8% xylose plus 2.4% cellobiose in 50 ml culture. The H0 Metschnikowia sp. strain with overexpression of XYL1 together with xyl2 deletion produced 77.7 g/L xylitol from 80 g/L of xylose in 5 days with xylitol yield of 0.97 g/g xylose and productivity of 0.65 g/L/h (FIG. 7).

Thus, deletion of the XYL2 gene and overexpression of the XYL1 gene in the H0 Metschnikowia sp. increased the production of xylitol to a yield of 0.97-0.99 g/g of xylose and productivity of 0.55-0.65 g/L/h using cellobiose as a co-substrate. One additional advantage of using the recombinant H0 Metschnikowia sp. having a deletion of the XYL2 gene and overexpression of the XYL1 gene is that the production medium consisted of only xylose, cellobiose and water, which allows for easy purification and cost effective production.

Example IV Production of Xylitol from Xylose by Recombinant Metschnikowia Species Using Galactose as a Co-Substrate

This example demonstrates that use of galactose as a co-substrate significantly enhanced production of xylitol in recombinant Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway.

The wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp., the xyl2 deletion strain, and the xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression strain were pre-grown in YPD at 30° C. till OD₆₀₀=˜10. Cells (120 OD) were collected and re-inoculated in 6 ml of media in a 15 ml test tube and grown at 30° C. on a rotator with a speed of 150 rpm/min. The media contained 10%, 12%, 14%, 16%, 18% and 20% (w/v) xylose plus one-fifth amount of galactose, respectively. 600 μL of sample was taken each day and cells were removed by centrifugation. The supernatant was filtered by a 2 μm syringe filter and 4 μl was applied to an HPLC to quantify xylose, cellobiose and xylitol.

By using galactose as a co-substrate, within 10 days, the maximum amount of xylitol produced was from 12% xylose media by xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression (FIG. 8, H0=wild type; H091=xyl2Δ/xyl2Δ; H4316=xyl2Δ::XYL1↑/xyl2Δ::XYL1↑). The xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression strain (H4316) produced over 200 g/L xylitol with a yield of 0.98 g/g and productivity of 0.53 g/L/h.

Further experiments using 12% xylose plus 4% galactose showed that the xyl2 deletion strain (H091) produced 7.6% xylitol in 6 days, while the xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression strain (H4316) produced 113 g xylitol from 120 g xylose in 6 days (FIG. 9), which exceeded the previously reported 93 g/L xylitol production by an engineered S. cerevisiae strain using cellobiose as a co-substrate (Oh et al., 2013, Metab. Eng., 15:226-234).

Production of xylitol from xylose was further increased by use of modified medium in a fed-batch method. The wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp., the xyl2 deletion strain, and the xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression strain were pre-cultured in YPD overnight at 30° C. and cells (30 OD) were collected and suspended in 4 ml H₂O in a 15 ml test tube. 2 ml of medium (24% xylose, 8% galactose, 0.5% yeast extract, 1% peptone, 0.05% KH₂PO₄, 0.05% MgSO₄, 0.05% (NH₄)₂SO₄ and 1% glucose) were added and the test tube was incubated at 30° C. on a rotating drum with speed of 150 rpm. A 500 μl of sample was taken for HPLC analysis. Starting from day 2 to day 10, 500 μl of production media was added every day after sampling. In accordance with the previous results, 8% xylose was used as an initial concentration in the medium and 0.5 ml of medium was added every day from day 2 to day 10 (fed-batch) to keep xylose levels above 3% and below 8%.

The above experiment showed that with the addition of a low amount of glucose and other nutrients, wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp. and both recombinant H0 Metschnikowia sp. strains can continuously consume xylose and produce xylitol (FIGS. 10A-10C). The wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp. produced 8.1% xylitol in 16 days, while the xyl2 deletion mutant (H091) produced 20.3% xylitol in 16 days with a yield of 0.98 g/g and productivity of 0.53 g/L/h. Overexpression of XYL1 plus xyl2 deletion (H4316) showed similar xylitol production as xyl2 deletion mutant. After 17 days, about 0.8% xylose and 1.3% galactose was left in the media by xyl2 deletion strain, indicating that galactose can be further reduced.

Production of xylitol from xylose was further increased by re-feeding with solid xylose. The wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp., and the xyl2 deletion strain were pre-cultured in YPD overnight at 30° C. and cells (30 OD) were collected and suspended in 20 ml water in a 125 ml flask. 10 ml of medium (24% xylose, 8% galactose, 0.5% yeast extract, 1% peptone, 0.05% KH₂PO₄, 0.05% MgSO₄, 0.05% (NH₄)₂SO₄ and 1% glucose) was added and the flask was incubated at 30° C. incubator shaking at 120 rpm. A 600 μl of sample was taken for HPLC analysis to monitor xylose content in the medium. Xylose powder and other nutrients with the same ratio as the above medium were added 5 times to the flask to maintain the xylose concentration between 2% and 10%.

The above experiment showed that with the addition of solid xylose into the medium, wild-type H0 Metschnikowia sp. and the xyl2 deletion strain can continuously consume xylose and produce over 17% (w/v) and 27% (w/v) of xylitol in 20 days, respectively (FIG. 11).

Based on the above, using galactose as a co-substrate, and the addition of nutrients including additional xylose, more than 27% of xylitol was obtained by using the XYL2 deleted H0 Metschnikowia sp. with a productivity of 0.56 g/L/h.

Galactose is one of the most abundant sugars in marine biomass, especially in red seaweed. Hence, marine biomass is an attractive renewable source for the production of xylitol. As such, using the method described in this example, marine biomass can be utilized to produce xylitol by a recombinant Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway that converts xylose to xylitol.

Example V Increasing Production of Xylitol from Xylose by Overexpressing a Xylose Transporter

This example demonstrates that increasing the transport of xylose into a recombinant Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway can speed up production of xylitol.

The strain was constructed by replacing one copy XYL2 in the H0 Metschnikowia sp. wild type strain with a GXF1-XYl1 overexpression cassette (XYL2p-MeHPH-TEF1t-TPIp-GXF1-DIT1t-UBI4p-XYL1-XYL2t) or a GXF2-XYL1 overexpression cassette ((XYL2p-MeHPH-TEF1t-TPIp-GXF1-DIT1t-UBI4p-XYL1-XYL2t). The other copy of XYL2 was kept wild type or replaced by ADH1p-MeNAT-PGK1t cassette.

The H0 Metschnikowia sp. wild type strain, xyl2 deletion strain, and transporter-xylose reductase overexpression along with xyl2 deletion strains were pre-grown in YPD medium. Yeast cells were collected and resuspended in 6 ml YP xylose (8%) medium plus 4% galactose, or 4% cellobiose, or 4% glycerol as a co-substrate. 600 μl of sample was taken for HPLC analysis to measure the consumption of xylose and production of xylitol.

The above experiment showed that with the overexpression of the GXF1 xylose transporter in the xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression strain resulted in about 5% to 10% faster production of xylitol when cultured in medium having xylose and the co-substrate galactose (FIG. 12A) or cellobiose (FIG. 12B) or glycerol (FIG. 12C) compared to xyl2 deletion strain, although use of the co-substrate cellobiose did not improve xylitol production in the engineered strains (FIGS. 12A-12C, H0=wild type; H091=xyl2 deletion strain; H016=one copy of XYL2 replaced by GXF1 and XYL1 overexpression strain; H016-21=xyl2 deletion plus GXF1 and XYL1 overexpression strain). Moreover, overexpression of the GXF2 xylose transporter in the xyl2 deletion plus XYL1 overexpression strain also resulted in about 5% to 10% faster production of xylitol when cultured in medium having xylose and galactose as the co-substrate (FIG. 13, H0=wild type; H091=xyl2 deletion strain; H2-2=one copy of XYL2 replaced by GXF2 and XYL1 overexpression strain; 2c1D3=xyl2 deletion plus GXF2 and XYL1 overexpression strain).

Based on the above, over expression of a xylose transporter can improve the speed at which xylitol can be produced by a recombinant Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway.

Example VI Fed-Batch Fermentation in 3 L Bioreactor

This example demonstrates that using a fed-batch fermentation methodology production of xylitol from xylose can be increased to at least 30% xylitol.

Using the recombinant Metschnikowia species strain H016-21 (1 copy of TPI1p-GXF1-DIT1t-UBI4p-XYL1 in xyl2 deletion strain), 2 L fed-batch fermentation was conducted in the 3 L bioreactors (Applikon Biotechnology). Two independent experiments were performed.

The procedures for the first fed-batch fermentation are: yeast cells were grown in 50 ml of YPD overnight at 30° C., and transferred to 500 ml of YPD. 167 ml of the culture was then mixed with 50 ml of 40% xylose and 33 ml of 20% galactose and transferred to 750 ml YPD in the 3 L vessel with the final inoculum at OD₆₀₀=2.0. The vessel was sparged in the medium with air or oxygen. The minimum agitation rate was 300 rpm, and was automatically adjusted to maintain the dissolved oxygen (DO) level at 50% saturation. The pH was kept at 5.5-6.0. The feeding stock contains 36% xylose, 12% galactose, 1.5% glucose, 1.5% peptone, 0.75% yeast extract, 0.075% KH₂PO₄, 0.075% MgSO₄.7H₂O, 0.075% (NH₄)₂SO₄. The feeding speed was adjusted to maintain the xylose level lower than 6%. 1 L of stock media was added in 7 days, and the fermentation was continued for another 3 days to consume the remaining xylose in the medium. Total fermentation lasted for 10 days and 20% xylitol was produced in 2 L volume (FIG. 14A), 3 days shorter than the previous best result.

In the second fed-batch fermentation, the process was modified to improve the productivity: The cells were grown in 10 ml of YPD for 20 hr at 30° C. and transferred to 400 ml of YPD plus 4% xylose and 2% galactose. The culture was grown at 30° C. for 24 hr with shaking at 150 rpm. The pre-culture was pumped into the 3 L bioreactor vessel containing 680 ml of media (YPD+4% xylose+2% galactose) with the final inoculum at OD₆₀₀=3.0. The feeding stock contained 36% xylose, 12% galactose, 3% glucose, 3% peptone, 1.5% yeast extract, 0.075% KH₂PO₄, 0.075% MgSO₄.7H₂O, 0.075% (NH₄)₂SO₄. The feeding speed was at 6 ml/hr. The aeration rate was automatically adjusted to keep the DO at 70% saturation. 1 L of stock media was added in 7 days, and the fermentation was continued till the xylose was almost used up. More solid medium compounds were added at day 10 to increase the xylose concentration to 7%. Total fermentation lasted for 18 days. The xylitol yield reached 20% at day 8, 2 days faster than the previous fed-batch fermentation. By addition of more xylose, 30.5% xylitol was produced at day 18, the highest amount we have ever achieved (FIG. 14B).

Based on the above, use of a fed-batch fermentation method can improve the rate and overall concentration of xylitol produced by a recombinant Metschnikowia species having a xylitol pathway.

Example VII Growth and Production of Metabolites Specific to the H0 Metschnikowia sp.

This example demonstrates that the H0 Metschnikowia sp. grows differently and produces different metabolites when compared to a closely related Metschnikowia species (Metschnikowia pulcherrima flavia).

Three single colonies of H0 Metschnikowia sp. and Metschnikowia pulcherrima flavia (FL) were inoculated into 5 ml yeast extract peptone dextrose (YEPD) media respectively, grown at 30° C. overnight. Cultures were shifted to 100 ml YEPD and grown at 30° C. for 4 hours. Cells were collected and inoculated into 200 ml medium in a 500 ml flask with OD600=1.0. Four different medium types were used: 1) YNBG: yeast nitrogen base with 4% glucose, 2) YNBX: yeast nitrogen base with 4% xylose, 3) YNBGX: yeast nitrogen base with 2% glucose and 2% xylose, and 4) YPDX: YEP with 2% dextrose and 2% xylose. Cultures were grown at 30° C. with shaking at 180 rpm. Samples were taken daily to monitor growth, which was measured by OD₆₀₀, and the metabolite content, which was measured by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The volatile compounds produced by H0 Metschnikowia sp. and FL were measured by headspace GC-MS. The OD₆₀₀ and HPLC data are the averages of three biological replicates. Standard deviations were also calculated. GC-MS data was compared roughly by the peak height.

Differences were observed in the growth rate between H0 Metschnikowia sp. and FL strains in all media tested. Specifically, H0 Metschnikowia sp. grows faster than FL (FIGS. 15A-15D). For example, on day 3 the ratio of OD₆₀₀ with H0 Metschnikowia sp. versus FL was 1.17 in YNBG (FIG. 15A), 1.30 in YNBX (FIG. 15B), 1.26 in YNBGX (FIG. 15C), and 1.19 in YPDX (FIG. 15D).

Glycerol and ethanol were detected on day 1 in the YNBG, YNBGX and YPDX media. The concentrations were similar between both strains in YNBG and YNBGX media (FIGS. 16A and 16B). However, in YPDX medium, H0 Metschnikowia sp. produced 45% more glycerol than FL (905 mg/L vs. 624 mg/L; FIG. 16A).

Both H0 Metschnikowia sp. and FL produced arabitol in all growth media (FIGS. 17A-17D). However, in YNBG medium, H0 Metschnikowia sp. produced a different amount of arabitol on day 1—H0 Metschnikowia sp. produced 60 mg/L more arabitol than FL (FIG. 17A). Most dramatically, in YNBGX medium, H0 Metschnikowia sp. produced a significantly higher amount of arabitol on day 1, day 2 and day 3—with H0 Metschnikowia sp. producing about 40 mg/L more arabitol than FL (FIG. 17C). In YNBX and YPDX media, the arabitol levels were similar between the two species (FIGS. 17B and 17D).

The H0 Metschnikowia sp. produced the maximum amount of xylitol on day 3 in YNBX (1.61 g/L), day 2 in YNBGX (1.43 g/L) and day 4 in YPDX (21.5 g/L) media, while FL produced maximum xylitol on day 6 in YNBX (2.33 g/L), day 2 in YNBGX (0.73 g/L) and day 4 in YPDX (21.9 g/L) (FIGS. 18A-18C). The ratio of xylitol content on day 3 between H0 Metschnikowia sp. and FL was 4.39 in YNBX, 5.43 in YNBGX and 0.87 in YPDX.

The volatile compounds in the media after growing for 1 day in YNBG and 3 days in YNBX, YNBGX, and YPDX, respectively, were measured by head space GC-MS. The peak height ratio was calculated and compared between the FL and H0 Metschnikowia sp. This analysis showed that FL produced more volatile compounds than H0 Metschnikowia sp. (FIGS. 19A-19D). Specifically, FL produced more acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, acetal, 1-(1-Ethoxyethoxy) pentane, and phenylethyl alcohol in YNBG medium (FIG. 19A); more isoamyl acetate, 2-methyl-1-butanol, and 3-methyl-1-butanol in YNBX medium (FIG. 19B); more ethyl acetate, ethyl propanoate, isoamyl acetate, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and phenylethyl alcohol in YNBGX medium (FIG. 19C) and more acetaldehyde, isobutanol, isoamyl acetate, 3-methyl-1-butanol, ethyl nonanoate, and phenylethyl alcohol in YPDX medium (FIG. 19D).

Based on the above results, the profile of growth and the secreted metabolites between H0 Metschnikowia sp. and Metschnikowia pulcherrima flavia species show differences in the growth rate and the content as well as the dynamics of some metabolites during the growth in different media.

Example VIII Metabolization of Xylose by Metschnikowia Species

This example demonstrates that Metschnikowia species consume and metabolize xylose as a carbon source and that the H0 Metschnikowia sp. and Metschnikowia zizyphicola are particularly useful host species for production of xylitol from xylose using a xylitol pathway.

Several known Metschnikowia pulcherrima clade species (Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Metschnikowia andauensis, Metschnikowia chrysoperlae, Metschnikowia sinensis, Metschnikowia shanxiensis, and Metschnikowia zizyphicola) as well as the new H0 Metschnikowia sp. described herein were grown on YP medium having 2% xylose for an extend period of time, wherein the growth of the cell cultures were monitored by assaying the OD₆₀₀ at hours 10, 13, 16, 19, 34 and 41.

These experiments showed that all assayed species consumed xylose for growth (FIG. 20). The H0 Metschnikowia sp. was distinguished from most of the Metschnikowia pulcherrima clade species by its growth, which at the late stages (41 hours) from an initial OD₆₀₀ at 0.03 reached an OD₆₀₀ of about 25 (FIG. 20). The OD₆₀₀ of the Metschnikowia zizyphicola culture and the H0 Metschnikowia sp. culture were also similar, and were both much higher than that of the other species assayed (FIG. 20). 

We claim:
 1. An isolated Metschnikowia species comprising: (a) at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase or that results in overexpression of a xylose reductase of the isolated Metschnikowia species; and (b) a genetic modification that attenuates or inactivates a xylitol dehydrogenase of the isolated Metschnikowia species.
 2. The isolated Metschnikowia species of claim 1, wherein the isolated Metschnikowia species produces at least 0.50 g/L/h, at least 0.60 g/L/h, at least 0.70 g/L/h, at least 0.80 g/L/h, at least 0.90 g/L/h, at least 1.00 g/L/h, at least 1.50 g/L/h, at least 2.00 g/L/h, at least 2.50 g/L/h, at least 3.00 g/L/h, at least 3.50 g/L/h, at least 4.00 g/L/h, at least 5.00 g/L/h, at least 6.00 g/L/h, at least 7.00 g/L/h, at least 8.00 g/L/h, at least 9.00 g/L/h, or at least 10.00 g/L/h of xylitol from xylose when cultured.
 3. The isolated Metschnikowia species of claim 1, wherein the isolated Metschnikowia species produces at least 75 g/L, at least 80 g/L, at least 85 g/L, at least 90 g/L, at least 95 g/L, at least 100 g/L, at least 110 g/L, at least 120 g/L, at least 130 g/L, at least 140 g/L, at least 150 g/L, at least 160 g/L, at least 170 g/L, at least 180 g/L, at least 190 g/L, at least 200 g/L, at least 250 g/L, at least 300 g/L of xylitol from xylose when cultured.
 4. The isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the isolated Metschnikowia species is selected from the group consisting of Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Metschnikowia fructicola, Metschnikowia chrysoperlae, Metschnikowia reukaufii, Metschnikowia andauensis, Metschnikowia shanxiensis, Metschnikowia sinensis, Metschnikowia zizyphicola, Metschnikowia bicuspidata, Metschnikowia lunata, Metschnikowia zobellii, Metschnikowia australis, Metschnikowia agaveae, Metschnikowia gruessii, Metschnikowia hawaiiensis, Metschnikowia krissii, Metschnikowia sp. strain NS-O-85, and Metschnikowia sp. strain NS-O-89.
 5. The isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the isolated Metschnikowia species is the Metschnikowia species designated Accession No. 081116-01, deposited at the International Depositary Authority of Canada, an International Depositary Authority, on Nov. 8, 2016, under the terms of the Budapest Treaty.
 6. The isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose reductase is a heterologous nucleic acid.
 7. The isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the xylose reductase comprises the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 11-18.
 8. The isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the xylose reductase comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 or an amino acid sequence with at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:
 11. 9. The isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the genetic modification comprises the deletion of at least one allele encoding the xylitol dehydrogenase or a portion thereof of the isolated Metschnikowia species.
 10. The isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the genetic modification comprises the deletion of both alleles encoding the xylitol dehydrogenase or a portion thereof of the isolated Metschnikowia species.
 11. The isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the isolated Metschnikowia species further comprises at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a xylose transporter or that results in overexpression of a xylose transporter of the isolated Metschnikowia species.
 12. The isolated Metschnikowia species of claim 11, wherein the xylose transporter comprises the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 27-40.
 13. The isolated Metschnikowia species of claim 11, wherein the xylose transporter comprises the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOS: 27-36 or an amino acid sequence with at least 30% sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NOS: 27-36.
 14. A method for producing xylitol comprising culturing the isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 13 under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce xylitol from xylose.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the conditions comprise culturing the isolated Metschnikowia species in medium comprising xylose and a C3 carbon source, a C4 carbon source, a C5 carbon source, a C6 carbon source, or a combination thereof
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the conditions comprise culturing the isolated Metschnikowia species in medium comprising xylose and a co-substrate selected from the group consisting of cellobiose, galactose, glucose, ethanol, acetate, arabitol, sorbitol and glycerol, or a combination thereof.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the co-substrate is glucose.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the medium comprises a combination of xylose and cellobiose.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the medium comprises a combination of xylose and galactose.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the medium comprises a combination of xylose and glycerol.
 21. The method of any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the culturing comprises aerobic culturing conditions.
 22. The method of any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the culturing comprises batch cultivation, fed-batch cultivation or continuous cultivation.
 23. The method of any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein the method further comprises separating the xylitol from other components in the culture.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the separating comprises extraction, continuous liquid-liquid extraction, pervaporation, membrane filtration, membrane separation, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, distillation, crystallization, centrifugation, extractive filtration, ion exchange chromatography, absorption chromatography, or ultrafiltration.
 25. Bioderived xylitol produced by the method of any one of claims 14 to
 24. 26. A composition comprising the isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 13 or the bioderived xylitol of claim
 25. 27. The composition of claim 26, wherein the composition is culture medium comprising xylose.
 28. The composition of claim 26, wherein the composition is culture medium from which the isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to 13 has been removed.
 29. The composition of any one of claims 26 to 28 comprising glycerol, arabitol, a C7 sugar alcohol, or a combination thereof, as impurities from the method of any one of claims 14 to
 24. 30. The composition of claim 29, wherein the C7 sugar alcohol is volemitol or an isomer thereof.
 31. The composition of claim 29, wherein the amount of glycerol or arabitol, or both, is at least 10%, 20%, 30% or 40% greater than the amount of the respective glycerol or arabitol, or both, produced by a microbial organism other than the isolated Metschnikowia species of any one of claims 1 to
 13. 